Lies On
by plannedbyReaperLight
Summary: Perhaps in some other world, some other time, Light's demonic blood would have remained dormant and he would have never known the power that was his true birthright. Light is acting strangely so L moves in for a closer look-bad move. Light x L Yaoi.
1. Strange

**A/N: **_Another one for the Kink meme http : / dn-kink2. / ? page = 58# comments for request: Light becomes an incubus. _

_This will be yaoi Light x L pairing (with one-sided… everyone x Light) _

_I do not own Death Note. _

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**Chapter 1 Strange**

_**Perhaps in some other world, some other time, Light's demonic blood would have remained dormant and he would have never known the power that was his true birthright. All it took was just one careless bite from a certain Shinigami who got a little too eager to eat an apple which Light held out, arrogantly, in his outstretched hand. Light scolded Ryuk for his carelessness but at the time he couldn't guess the repercussions that it would have—how he had just been infected and how this infection coupled with his heavy notebook usage and, for the first time in his life, seriously lusting after someone was playing havoc with his mind and body, causing an alchemical chain reaction that would culminate on the 28th of February, his eighteenth birthday…**_

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Light held soft raven locks in an iron grip as he forced the man's head down and trailed soft kisses across pale, unmarked skin of his neck and back. The other man writhed wantonly beneath him, his dark, ever-staring eyes were dulled and hooded with lust, but his cries were silent. (Light never heard his voice and his subconscious never supplied him with one.) The teen was just getting to the really interesting part of his dream when he awoke, once again to cold sweat and stained sheets.

The brunette fell back against his pillow with a groan.

It all began about a month ago. Light had listlessly filed into the exam hall just before the doors were closed, blinking against the harsh fluorescent lights that over-lit the room. He strode forward to take his seat, ignoring the other student's usual stares of awe and envy. Yes, he knew he was handsome and was at the top of the class. He didn't need _them_ to remind him of how awesome he was. ( Just imagine if they knew that their _God_ went to school with them...) Light merely (regally) nodded in return of Yamamoto's eager waving before taking his seat. He kept his eyes forward and ignored the staring.

Maybe it was just the paranoia talking but he could swear more people were staring at him lately. He had mixed feelings about that. It was his rightful due as God of the New World to be afforded respect and admiration. However Light doubted that was the intent behind their stares—no doubt their motives were less than pure and in any case he didn't want to attract unwanted attention. And for some reason he was getting asked out much more often than before (Light hadn't thought that was possible) by girls and guys alike. (He'd rather they didn't stare so until _after_ he had finished cleansing the world and they knew him as God and afforded him the proper respect...) But now... he found it unnerving, and he always worried that they somehow knew his secrets.

Perhaps he _should_ date more girls just to keep up appearances because if his father found out he was gay... Light had no doubt that shouting "I AM KIRA" at the top of his lungs to a room full of irritable, doughnut-deprived, cops with loaded guns would be a safer course of action...

Light rested his chin in his hand as he waited, jadedly, for the test to begin. It was beyond irritating. He knew he was the smartest person here. Yet, here he had to prove it again, to jump through all the hoops. But what can you do? (Except _show them_, of course.) Still, it was annoying and it took away from his time. He could be using to do something so much more _productive_...

"And begin!" announced the proctor. Light stared at the blank page for a minute before resignedly picking up his pencil. This was new. Usually his focus was flawless and the answers would come effortlessly but for some reason he'd been feeling kind of distracted lately. Maybe it was the staring... no, it was more than that. It felt like something was crawling in the pit of his stomach. Weird. Maybe he had too much wasabi in his lunch. The teen twirled the pencil in his hand and then focused determinedly on the test before him. He'd wait until the very end of the test to write his name at the top of the sheet. Ever since he picked up the Death Note he always got nervous about writing his own name. He had just begun to run through the questions when he felt a prickling feeling at the nape of his neck like he was being watched... Well of course he was being watched—even though the exam had begun the other students were in the process of testing they were still sneaking glances at him or maybe his test paper trying to copy his answers. There was also Ryuk's constant staring but that was to be expected. It was familiar and Light considered it to be harmless. His Shinigami floated in the back of the exam hall—Light had with much patience (and with many apples as incentive) finally trained the monster to respect his personal space, especially when he was working like this. It wasn't his classmate's or Ryuk's staring that was making him nervous; it was a stranger's eyes he felt upon him.

Just then the proctor walked by scolding "Student number 162! Sit properly in your chair."

With a rising sense of foreboding Light slowly turned around to see the source of the disturbance and saw the strange man staring at him.

That stranger. Light only saw him once at the exam hall but "Student Number 162" had left quite an impression, he had been haunting his dreams ever since.

It was really beginning to get on his nerves.

Having stalkers was hardly a new phenomenon for Light Yagami. But his being attracted to one of them most definitely was. This was honestly the first time he had ever… _lusted_ after anyone. Light decided he didn't like it. It was stupid, embarrassing, and a waste of time. After all, what were the odds he'd ever see him again? (Perhaps he should have… No. Kira did not have regrets.)

It wasn't that he was fantasizing about another guy that so disturbed him. Light was well-aware of where his own preferences lay (not that he'd want to make them known. After all, he had an image to maintain.) It was the object of his desires. Why had he become so infatuated with a man that should by all rights disgust him? Well… maybe he might be a perfectly nice guy if he got to know him but still Light's first impression was that the guy was a CREEP. The unkempt pale, gangly, foreign weirdo had been staring at him all throughout the testing. His newest stalker would be there every day, Light would look over his shoulder to see the same greasy hair, the same wrinkled, baggy white sweater and jeans that he looked like he slept in... assuming he slept at all. And the guy kept getting yelled at for sitting oddly in his desk—no that didn't do it justice—the other man had been sitting with his bare toes wiggling on the surface of his desk. He took his test holding his pencil with the tips of his fingers. He looked like… like a _retarded monkey!_

Which begged the question—why the hell was he attracted to him?

Well... perhaps it was because the man had such a perfect air of mystery about him? Every time Light had stolen a glance his raven had always worn that same bland, blank expression on his face, betraying nothing of what he was actually thinking… and here Light thought his poker face was good. And that he could get away with coming to the testing dressed like that actually said a lot. Touhou would never consider letting some crackhead off the street into their school so to get away with this behavior he must be really influential or really smart… or both. Maybe he was someone famous like an actor or teen idol without his makeup or computer enhancements? Actually that made a lot of sense. A celebrity wanting to go to school unmolested might affect such a persona in order to keep a low profile. And his mystery man did kind of look like a rock star. Hell, he could be Hideki Ryuuga for all he knew...

And the other man was confident. That more than anything was probably what had held Light's attention. The other man didn't look away when Light caught him staring. No one had ever dared to hold his gaze before—they all looked away, but not this man. He stared right back. And while Light was loathe to admit it; he had found that incredibly attractive. In the end Light was the first to break their stare off. He had flushed, fidgeted in his seat, and crossed his legs under the desk in an attempt to stay focused on the exam in front of him.

During the final day of testing Light had remained after taking the test to watch his watcher. His stalker always finished only a couple minutes after he did… Or maybe he had finished earlier and was waiting for him? (No… impossible. No one could finish a test faster than him. Well that is to say no one could finish the test faster than him and pass…) His stranger had moved oddly too, when he unfolded himself from his desk. He shuffled along with slumped shoulders—perhaps he had a back problem? Yet despite this (or maybe even because of this?) there was that underlying confidence that Light found so very attractive. The stranger handed in his test without a care and then stretched his arms above his head, loudly popping his back and revealing a tantalizing glimpse of what lay beneath those baggy clothes. Light had openly stared at the taut muscles of the man's stomach. He was lithe but strong, he must work out. Maybe he had a personal trainer? Light's eyes followed the slight curve of the man's hips to where they disappeared into the red rim of his boxers which were peaking out above the rim of those sagging blue jeans.

The raven-haired stranger finished his stretching and just seemed to notice Light's staring. He smiled at him and the God of the New World suddenly found himself weak in the knees. Light had nearly approached the other man at that point, just to say "hi" or something, but had talked himself out of it at the last moment. He hadn't REALLY chickened out. Not him. Not Light Yagami, Kira, the God-To-Be was not the least bit nervous about... asking someone out. (Come to think of it he never really had just asked someone out before—they always came to him.) There were numerous perfectly logical reasons why it would have been a bad idea—there were too many people around, asking a strange man he didn't know out for coffee would probably be seen as gay… and Light was perfectly happy in the closet, really… It wasn't worth the risk of his exposure. And things were just too weird right now. Seriously. He did not _need_ to be in a relationship.

Light lay, still in a half-asleep haze, nestled deep into damp blankets, staring at his ceiling. He needed to get up and change those… Dammit, he wished he was back in his dream! Because now he would have to get up and deal with all the crap of another day. More draining demands on his time, more stress, more boredom, more rude and rotten people, more mind-fuckery courtesy of L... (and no raven-haired beauty waiting for him...) Light yawned and stretched and for the first time became conscious of the odd sensations, the shifting weight on his back and head and his own body awareness snapped into focus...

**"Hey Light, are you awake yet?"** Ryuk's voice floated in through the wall just before he did. **"I know you said those were supposed to last the week but we're kind of out of apples now and I really need one bad— Woah!"**

"Ryuk! _What the fuck did you do?_"

The Shinigami just stood there, stunned speechless as he gawked at his (former) human.


	2. Changes

**A/N:** _I do not own Death Note. This is for entertainment only. I make no money off of this._

_Light's new Incubus powers of being super attractive to everyone cause him problems already because with it comes unwanted attention from ALL corners..._

_Warning: Slight Ryuk/Light moment played for laughs but that is not the pairing for this story. _

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**Chapter 2 Changes**

"What have you done?" Light demanded as Ryuk continued to gawk, too fascinated by the glimpse of cute little cat-like fangs that appeared every time Light opened his mouth (kind of like that one guy on Sayu's anime programs) to register what Light was actually saying. "You're dead!" Light snarled and without warning he lunged at Ryuk and to the Shinigami's further surprise Light's new claws actually left a mark. Sure, they healed immediately but to be able to touch him, to hurt him that way... _That_ snapped Ryuk out of his stupor and he worked to keep the enraged teen at arm's length.

**"Woah, woah, woah! Settle down, kid. I had nothing to do with this!"** Ryuk insisted, though the words rang false even as he said them. Come to think of it he had never seen the notebook so fully corrupt a human before (that was part of what made Light so fascinating.) And sometimes Ryuk swore that he would catch a glimpse of something—a hellish red glow in Light's eyes. That was NOT a human trait. Shinigami had such eyes... so did demons. Crap, he should've seen it sooner! What were the rules if a demon has your notebook? Would he get in trouble for this?

The clincher though was up till yesterday Light had a human lifespan that Ryuk could see. But today the number was gone replaced by a symbol like a twisting ribbon, a side-ways figure eight... infinity. Little mortal Light pretending to be a God—that was funny, but_ this...? _Ryuk was frequently shocked and amazed at the depths Light would sink to in order to further his goals. He was by far more twisted, more EVIL than a Shinigami could ever hope to be and to think that Light was now at least just as powerful... For the first time in centuries Ryuk felt something akin to fear as he realized his prank wasn't so funny anymore...

And if Light wasn't human did that mean the notebook would have no effect if he were to write his name so he'd be stuck with Light for well... until Light forfeited ownership (but what were the odds of THAT happening?) Oh man, and Shidoh! He only meant to borrow his notebook for a few decades just to have a little bit of fun. Seeing as he seriously doubted Light would be willing part with "his" notebook he had just given his old pal a death sentence!

Oh well, he'd cross that bridge when he came to it... Ryuk had his own problems at the moment—such as Light trying to claw his face off. The teen had become a flurry of claws and crimson wings as the new demon attacked him. It was ultimately ineffectual as Ryuk healed the hits he took and managed to keep Light at bay. Ryuk growled and grabbed the younger demon by the horns and held him aloft at arm's length in the air. Light was so shocked by the realization that he HAD horns that he stopped his assault.

Shinigami and demon eyed each other warily.

Light just hung there, panting heavily having a minor panic attack. Ryuk watched the rise and fall of Light's bare chest and realized that when Light wasn't trying to kill him... Light made a _very attractive_ demon... Ryuk was by no means an expert on the rules but he was fairly certain that Rule 36 did not mention anything about demons and if he was stuck with Light anyway...

Meanwhile, Light did not like Ryuk holding him by the horns... nor the new twist to the Shinigami's grin. _At all._ The Shinigami almost seemed... _lecherous._

"Ryuk... _Let. Go._" Light growled in a commanding tone, his voice changing several octaves deeper than normal and promising a slow and painful death should the Shinigami defy him.

The Shinigami looked unhappy but complied. **"Sure. Whatever you say… Kira."**

Even in the midst of his panicking that change of address gave Light pause. Ryuk had never called him that before. He had told the Shinigami he didn't particularly like the name that the masses had chosen to give him. Could it be that Ryuk was actually _afraid_ of him?

Good.

He hadn't really intended to attack the Shinigami but if Ryuk was actually scared of him then maybe he'd be more obedient in the future.

No sooner had Ryuk set him down then Light rushed to his closet to assess the damage in his full-length door mirror…

"I can't look like this... _I can't!_" Light was repeating it over and over again as if wishing it would make it so. It was no secret that Light was very vain about his looks and while new superpowers were cool looking like a freak was definitely not. Ryuk didn't see what the problem was. He hadn't thought it was possible but Light looked even prettier than before...

In his haste (and not knowing his own strength) Light accidentally yanked the heavy wooden door off its hinges. Light stumbled back and fell on his ass. Ryuk caught the mirror before it shattered on him. Ryuk didn't particularly care if Light got hurt; he just didn't want to have to deal with a berserking demon Light any more than he had to. Still it was an act of caring so uncharacteristic of the Shinigami it again momentarily shocked Light out of his current panic.

"Thanks."

**"Hyuk. No problem."**

Light got up and took the door from Ryuk. He knew the door to be heavy but when he picked it up with one hand it felt like it weighed nothing.

"This… now this is interesting." While these changes were very problematic (very, _VERY_)... this could also be to his advantage.

Ryuk's grin widened.

That's right, when he attacked Ryuk he had felt it, he had hit harder than he had hit anyone in his life. Light cringed as he realized belatedly that that wasn't particularly nice. The Death Note and Shinigami existed so other types of magic might exist as well... something ELSE that might explain this—so it was plausible that Ryuk really didn't have anything to do with it. That meant the Shinigami was innocent—Kira didn't punish innocents—only the guilty and those who opposed him (who were also guilty because they defied his law) and while they weren't exactly friends, Light was grateful to Ryuk for granting him his powers. Ryuk didn't seem to holding any hard feelings about it but Light still made a mental note to buy him extra apples later.

Light prided himself on being a model teenager, the perfect human being with perfect control over his emotions. That he _snapped_ like that scared him even more than these bizarre changes that were happening to his body. These changes must have been having an effect on his psychological state because he had never snapped like that before! (Killing Lind L. Tailor that one time didn't count in Light-logic.) That meant he would have to be so much more careful from now on... Good thing he was such a meticulous person anyway. Yes, he'd be fine—especially if he was able to distance himself from his family. It was perfectly natural for a normal college student to want to strike out on his own and he didn't know his own strength-the last thing he wanted to do was cause a tragedy.

"Hey Light! You okay in there?" Sayu shouted from the other side of the door. Crap. Someone had apparently heard the loud thump that had accompanied his fall.

"Everything's fine!" Light insisted quickly, his voice slightly cracking. Luckily the door was locked.

"Well hurry up! Your breakfast is getting cold!"

"Right..."

Shit! He couldn't even leave the room looking like _THIS!_

Light again stared at his hands. These were not his hands. His nails grew out into wicked claws that were now stained with Ryuk's black blood (Until now Light didn't even think Shinigami COULD bleed.) Light stared at the mirror through sanguine eyes that gleamed with their own light and had become slitted like those of a cat or snake. His hair had grown long so that it now fell past his shoulders and it had taken on a more reddish-tinge. Light reached up and felt where the twin spiral horns sprouted out of his forehead following his hands' progress in the mirror with his eyes as he felt how they swept backwards up and over the top of his head. His horns ended in wicked tips so they weren't just for show. They could be used as a weapon if he so chose. Light smiled at the thought and the mirror displayed his new needle-like fangs. He cringed. That was a look more appropriate on Ryuk but not on _him!_

_Right... calm down and focus on the positive..._

Light glanced at another addition he had woken up with—the large red, bat-like wings that protruded from his back. He had once joked to Ryuk about how it would be cool to have wings... it _was_ cool. Light fanned them out, finishing the job of ripping his pajama top to shreds. It made quite a statement as he posed in front of the mirror—Bold. Powerful. Godly. _AWESOME!_ Light smirked. Shirtless and with his wings and arms spread wide he well knew he was the very definition of sexy. Light gave his new wings an experimental flap, generating a wind that knocked over some of his papers and smaller desk objects. Light swelled with pride as he felt the latent power of his new wings. Oh man, he couldn't wait to test them out. To go flying... It was _AWESOME!_ That wasn't the problem. The problem was that it was very impractical. How the fuck could he possibly hide this? His new tail swished angrily just over the rim of his boxers. It was red like his wings and scaly but smooth. It felt nice to touch and was clearly designed to be used in inappropriate ways.

Jeez, was there anything left of him that was normal? It was like hitting puberty all over again... In a panic Light removed his boxers, paying no mind to his audience. Ryuk followed him everywhere, even the bathroom. He had seen everything before.

Well... Light decided these changes weren't all bad when he discovered he had gained several inches below. Fascinated, he felt the need to touch to confirm it.

Dumb move.

A few slight touches had him standing straight and a slight shudder went through him. How could he have this problem? He just came with his wet dream of his Raven writhing beneath and... _oh!_ Definitely had a problem now. His mind was screaming at him. This was the absolute worse time he should be thinking about jacking off! His body paid him no mind. He was roaring and ready to go like some kind of sex machine. His skin began producing something slimy that should by all rights have disgusted him at a visceral level. Instead he just found it convenient that he didn't need to reach for the lotion.

"Ha!" Light found himself leaning into touches he felt gliding down his back...

Wait, _what?_

"Ryuk what the _fuck_ are you _doing?_" Light roared. The Shinigami quickly withdrew his hands as if he just got burned from touching the demon. Perhaps he did.

**"Er…"** The Shinigami quickly thought up an excuse for touching Light. **"My wings retract if I flex my muscles around here…"** Light shuddered as Ryuk traced along his shoulder blades. **"I was wondering if yours do too."**

Light breathed a sigh of relief. Ryuk was just being helpful. (Of course Ryuk wasn't... that was absolutely ridiculous!) What the fuck was wrong with him? Getting turned on by his pet Shinigami touching him? It was normal for Ryuk to get up into his personal space but it had never affected him like that before. Ew! Well at least he no longer had that problem. He went limp soon after finding that unpleasant discovery. These changes must be playing havoc with his hormones. This was bad. _Really, really bad!_ He needed to find a way to take control of this situation and fast.

Light strained and concentrated on doing what Ryuk suggested. The wings did indeed disappear, retracting into his back. The other monstrous traits likewise disappeared. He looked (mostly) normal again. Well his eyes were still slightly redder than normal. His ears were still a bit more pointed than they were before but that was easily concealed by the strands of his hair (that looked normal again too). His eye-teeth were still a bit pointier too... and THAT (Light eyed down below again) was still... big. (Light smirked about that last part. He couldn't wait to test that out too.) But those changes were easy enough to conceal. However this whole development was still a concern though. If he didn't have total control of these physical responses he could have horns or wings popping out at uncertain intervals-that was definitely not the way to keep a low profile.

**"Better?"** Ryuk asked.

"Thanks," Light said grudgingly. "It wouldn't do for me to go around looking like a hideous beast."

**"Eh? What are you talking about? You looked beautiful! You still do…" **

Light's jaw dropped as he met Ryuk's smoldering stare. The Shinigami was still standing too close for comfort. Unable to resist temptation Ryuk forcefully grabbed Light by the back of his head and kissed him full on the lips. Light shrieked in alarm, lashed out with his claws and staggered away his expression clearly reading "scarred for life."

"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! YOU DO NOT! OH GOD!" Light turned green and spat and looked like he was trying to wretch up the contents of his empty stomach.

Ryuk looked hurt. **"Uh… sorry…"** He began. Light sent him a scalding death glare. **"It's just you're just a very attractive demon… er human… uh… whatever you are… shutting up now."** The Shinigami babbled in the face of Light's increasingly menacing stare. Light's eyes had reverted to that violent crimson color and flames were beginning to erupt out of his skin.

"NO APPLES!" Light declared in his deep, demon voice. Cowed, the Shinigami slunk away through the wall.

Once Light was sure Ryuk was gone he retracted his new demon parts and quickly got dressed. Light shuddered. Ryuk was probably still watching through the wall. The Shinigami returned a few moments later, bashfully scratched the back of his head.

**"Sorry."** Ryuk tried again. He was admittedly not too good at things like subtlety.

Light ignored the Shinigami for a moment. Like it or not Ryuk would probably be hanging around him for the rest of his life. He had better clarify this right now... Light took a deep breath and began in a dangerously calm tone.

"Ryuk. I don't think of you that way. At all. _Ever._ I think it would be better if we were just friends, don't you?" As Light said this he again deployed his razor sharp claws and concentrated on that new power he had discovered, conjuring up a ball of fire in his hand. (That would definitely come in handy.) Light shot Ryuk a look that clearly read 'try anything like that again and you will be the first I test it on.'

Ryuk looked so sad. **"Right…"** But Ryuk perked up again when he realized that was what Light said _right now_ but as long as they were bound together they had eternity together to look forward to. Light was sure to come around eventually. However, in the mean time...

**"Say, you didn't mean that part about no apples, did you?" **

"Yes, I did." Light replied curtly as he put a jacket on over his shirt, becoming increasingly paranoid about putting any part of his body on display, worried about more changes erupting out at anytime... and what if it wasn't just Ryuk? No, it wasn't just Ryuk. More people HAD been hitting on him lately... only _like EVERYONE!_ Until he figured all this out it would probably be for the best to stay away from people as much as possible.

**"Oh c'mon! That's just cruel! I said I was sorry!"**

Light ignored the Shinigami in favor of checking himself out in the mirror again to make sure he looked like his normal self before proceeding to head downstairs… and nearly had a heart attack. Ryuk cackled sadistically as Light gaped at where all his friends and family (minus his father) had gathered under a big banner declaring **"HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIGHT!"**

It seemed Light really had forgotten...


	3. What's A Birthday?

**A/N: **I still don't own _Death Note_.

**Chapter 3 What's A Birthday? **

**One Month Ago**

Light had just been walking home as usual, dodging the glances of strangers that seemed far too interested in him when he felt something odd in the pit of his stomach. For a moment he was so wracked with pain he had to take a pause in his walking. Ryuk immediately began to ask concerned questions about his health (and whether he should be writing Light's name down.) Of course Light insisted he was alright after that. He probably was... (Light couldn't know that he was already changing into what he would become...) Light shifted his bookbag on his shoulder and made a point of walking home proud and strong lest the Shinigami get the wrong idea. Maybe he was just tired. After all, things were awfully strange lately.

At school Preliminary results were in from the first day of testing. As expected he had perfect scores. However there was an unexpected development. So far he was tied with a "Hideki Ryuuga." That had thrown him. He had never _tied_ with anyone before. Not only that but the name... could his Raven really be THE Hideki Ryuuga?

Light was always alone, always hiding his true self away so he wouldn't get laughed at. He had learned to be sweet and charming, to project a mask of wholesome normalcy. But now there just might be another that was the same as him... he wasn't exactly sure how to take that. That he might have an intellectual equal out there was a very threatening idea now that he had begun his Kira project. However it was also exhilarating. Light wanted to seek this person out, to challenge him, to see if they truly were on the same level. And if it was his Raven... maybe they could... talk... (or maybe they could get to know each other on the most basic level.)

Light was disappointed to discover he couldn't find his Raven anywhere... Not that he had been looking. No, not at all...

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"I'm home!" Light announced saccharinely as he walked in the door. Sachiko had watched her perfect son returned from yet another day at school to her pristine and perfect house which she had spent the morning meticulously cleaning. As always Light was careful to remove his shoes at the door to avoid tracking in nonexistent mud. After they exchanged greetings Sachiko watched as her son trudged up the stairs to his room, single-mindedly focused on his studies.

He was such a good boy.

Sachiko frowned a bit as she noticed the slight slump marring Light's otherwise perfect posture. Her son had seemed a bit down lately, like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Those entrance exams must have him really stressed out...

His mother tried to think of some inspiration on how she might cheer him up...

Light was halfway up the stairs when his mother called up after him "Light! Did you want anything? For your birthday? It's less than a month away!"

Light stopped and turned to address his mother and nearly had a face full of Ryuk when the unseen specter had come silently trailing in behind him. (He would have if the Shinigami wasn't out of phase at the moment.)

**"Birthday?"** Ryuk asked; his curiosity peaked.

"Oh! Oh! Light! That's right! What do you want for your birthday?" Sayu chimed in enthusiastically.

Startled Light gripped the stair railing to avoid falling down the stairs in an uncharacteristic 'spazz-out moment.' Honestly all he wanted was more alone time with his notebook. His birthday did not at all work into his current plans for world domination.

"It's okay. I don't need anything. I don't want to cause a fuss..." Light began his rapid-fire excuses usually reserved for such situations as 'reasons-why-I-am-interesting-and-Ryuk-shouldn't-write-my-name-in-his-Death Note' and avoiding dates with girls. Ryuk figured that must mean that this birthday-thing must be serious business.

"It's no fuss! Did you want to have anyone over? Any girls...?"

Light sighed. "Mom... I just want to concentrate on the exams…"

Light paused when for a moment it seemed like his mother was staring right at Ryuk. But then she blinked and shook her head as if to clear it. Light breathed a sigh of relief. False alarm. It was surely just a coincidence…

"Uh... whatever you guys want to do... I'm gonna go study in my room now." Light quickly excused himself up the stairs…

"Okay!" Sayu smiled sweetly. Ryuk cackled. He didn't know what this birthday-thing was but even he understood that Light probably shouldn't have left the planning up to his mother and little sister.

"Of course, dear," Sachiko sighed. She knew that what Light really wanted she couldn't give him. Her son said he understood—that his dad was out catching the bad guys. But Sachiko noticed he didn't even bother to ask this time if his father could come home.

It broke her heart.

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Light shut and locked his bedroom door, sagging against it in relief, a sly smile creeping across his face as he made his way over to his desk "I already have everything I need."

The teen sat at his desk, carefully retrieving his notebook from the booby trapped desk drawer. As an afterthought Light reached into his bookbag and tossed Ryuk an apple. Behind him the Shinigami dove for it gleefully with outstretched claws. Ryuk savored it. He was so glad that the cameras and bugs were finally out of Light's room. Apples tasted so much better when eaten inside the house and it was getting really boring not being able to even talk to Light.  
>Meanwhile Light just sat at his desk, notebook in hand, just staring at it, and began giggling insanely. This notebook was the tool of a God. He was a God. This L had nothing on him, no leads and now the police must have been forced to end the surveillance. All Light had to do was be patient. He'd discover L's identity soon enough and once he'd gotten rid of L nothing would stand in his way. <em>NOTHING!<em>

Ryuk backed away slowly—more than a bit nervous. When Light was in one of his moods he seemed positively _diabolical._ The Shinigami had never seen a human become so corrupted before-all the while thinking he was on the side of the angels-it was thoroughly entertaining.

Ryuk cleared his throat. **"So, Light?"** the Shinigami dared to interrupt the teen's mad musings. **"What is this birthday business?"**

Light's mad smile disappeared, replaced with a contemptuous scowl. Ryuk reflected on how Light's mood swings were becoming more extreme of late. Maybe his human had finally dived all the way off the deep end. That would be disappointing. Ryuk enjoyed Light's calculating madness but gibbering madness wasn't nearly as interesting.

Light sighed but patiently explained to his simple-minded companion. "It's a human ritual, kind of like Christmas, only everyone gives you stuff you don't really want or need and you have to eat cake." Light shuddered at the thought. After all, perfection took a lot of effort. He didn't want to squander his efforts just for the sake of such momentary pleasures. The consequences would be dire.

Ryuk pondered on what Light had said and how that sounded like fun... so why was Light so against it? Light had wordlessly turned back to his desk and resumed scratching down names in the notebook.

**"Well if you don't want anything… why not ask her for apples? Or how about the advance XP you were too cheap to get me for Christmas?" **  
>Light paused in his writings to glare at the Shinigami.<p>

"It's MY birthday, not yours."

**"But you just said you didn't want anything!"** Ryuk whined.

"It's the principle of the thing!"

**"But… I want one! I want a birthday!"** Ryuk said sadly.

Light massaged his temples in frustration. "Well, when were you born?"

**"Born?"** the monster looked puzzled. **"Shinigami just… are."** Ryuk continued to mope pitifully.

Light sighed "If it means that much to you, then... how about we pick an arbitrary date, like say, the day I met you and next year we can celebrate your birthday then."

**"R-Really?"** The Shinigami asked excitedly.

"Yeah, we'll stick a candle in an apple tart or something and... let's see that falls on a Saturday... we can go out for the day. I'll take you somewhere." Someplace where people wouldn't see floating apple tarts...

**"I liked Spaceland,"** Ryuk began hopefully. They could have a special day, just the two of them with no Yuri chick getting in the way this time...

"Hmmm. There's also Yamaguchi Orchard," Light suggested.

**"What's that?" **

"It's an apple orchard." It was cheaper, with fewer witness, and Light had a feeling Ryuk would appreciate it more... The Shinigami did indeed look pleased, his fangy maw widened in delight.

**"They have… **_**apples**_** there?"**

Light sighed again; massaging his forehead and the bridge of his nose in classic 'I'm surrounded by frickin' morons' pose. "Yes, Ryuk, they have apples there. They _grow_ apples there." Light made a face as the monster drooled all over his bedsheets before again focusing his attention on writing names in the notebook.

**"I have to wait a whole year?"** The Shinigami moaned as realization struck.

Light's smirk was hidden by the angle as he leaned over his desk to work. Now there was more incentive for Ryuk to keep him alive for another year at least...  
>Light penned a few more names down before putting the notebook away for the evening. It couldn't hurt to take a moment to actually study for those entrance exams.<p>

00000

**Present**

Ryuk was rolling on the floor laughing. The kid, master planner that he was, had forgotten his own birthday! The look of horror that flashed across his face when so many people leapt up from behind the sofa shouting "SURPRISE" was absolutely priceless. He had pressed himself up against the wall like a cornered animal, his heart hammering in his chest. Too funny! It looked like Ryuk had to make sure to remind Light about HIS "birthday" over the next few months... Repeatedly.


	4. A Party To This

**A/N: **_I do not own Death Note. _

00000

**Chapter 4 A Party To This **

Aw shit! This was a nightmare! Yes, this was _exactly_ what he needed when he could turn into a monster at any moment! From the looks of it Sayu had invited half his school! If they discovered his problem... But he was seeing no polite way to make them all leave. Well maybe if he set the house on fire... before he could finish that thought Sayu got out A LIST and began reading off the itinerary of what they were going to be doing on Light's birthday looking far more enthusiastic than her brother. Light dutifully faked a smile but if anyone cared to look his eyes betrayed that he found all of this about as fun as having a root canal. Light was immediately regretting leaving the planning entirely in the hands of his fourteen year old sister...

"Hurry up and eat your breakfast, sleepyhead," Sayu grinned, pointing out how Light had for once slept in and they let him do so. "When you're done eating, we're gonna go out and see [Generic Date Movie] 2 and then we'll go get lunch out, then we'll go to the arcade, and then we'll come back here and play party games, and then we'll have cake, and then you can open your presents, and then we'll play more party games and then we'll have dinner and then..."

Light listened with mounting horror, praying that Sayu hadn't made this into a slumber party too. _('And then we'll have MAKEOVERS! And I'll paint your nails pink and we'll play spin the bottle and...')_

Sayu announced "and we'll go out to a Hideki Ryuuga concert!"

Light perked up. Okay maybe that last one wasn't so bad. Maybe he'd get to see...

"So get started! You're keeping everyone waiting!" Sayu shouted enthusiastically, nearly pushing her brother face-first into his cereal bowl.

As the others dispersed to enjoy the snack trays Sachiko provided Light's oldest friends Yamamoto and Ryou approached him while he was eating his breakfast.

"Hey Light, you okay?"

Light paused in his eating to greet them. "Yeah... what's up?"

"Well it's just..."

"It's your birthday and you seem too excited about it."

"Oh... it's just I haven't had my coffee yet..." Light explained.

"Oh I know why he's down," Yamamoto announced. "It's because he's become a SERIAL KILLER!"

Light nearly choked on his corn flakes. "_WHAT?_"

Ryou funneled a newspaper up into a fake megaphone and shouted "DROP THE SPOON AND STEP AWAY FROM THE BOWL!"

Yamamoto pointed at Light's cornflakes as if he were speaking to a complete retard. "A Cereal Killer. Get it?"

"Oh. Ha ha! Good one." Light forced an awkward laugh. He was sure his sweat glands were going on overdrive and no doubt if Ryuk were human he would have died laughing by now.

"Hey, don't worry man. We won't tell Kira," Yamamoto promised.

Just then Sachiko came up behind them and with pulled the protesting boys away by the ears.

"Boys, let him eat his breakfast in peace before you start harassing him."

_Before?_

00000

Once they arrived at the movie theater the catfighting commenced almost immediately over who got to sit next to Light (and here the who got to ride with him fight had been bad enough!) Why did Sayu have to invite all these girls from his school? Was she hoping to start some real life drama? Well Mission Accomplished. The exams had been a convenient excuse for his not dating any of them but now that the exams were over (and Sayu had suggested none too subtly that her brother was available) Light was left searching for a place to hide. It was disgraceful, _ridiculous_, the way these girls were throwing themselves at him. Couldn't they find a nice straight boy to bother?

Light, as diplomatically as possible, requested to sit with Yamamoto and Ryou. Alas it seemed that they had caught whatever weirdness had affected Ryuk this morning as they were suddenly just as bad about respecting personal boundaries...

As expected the movie was the boring formulaic drivel that middle-aged men thought teenage girls liked to watch. As Light sat there (considering punishing the entire production team for making this atrocious crime against humanity) Yamamoto yawned and stretched so that his arm fell across Light's shoulders. Light's eyes narrowed (and unbeknownst to him began glowing a dim red in the dark of the movie theater) as he felt Yamamoto's hand progressively moving south. Light leaned back in his chair trapping his movements before he could put it down the back of his pants. Alas, this just gave Ryou easier access to pretend to fall asleep in his lap.

What was WRONG with everyone lately? Yeah, he knew he was hot and all but seriously where was it written that he must be molested by everyone he came in contact with? Yamamoto seemed to interpret Light's move as encouraging as he began stroking in small circles along Light's back. Light was becoming distinctly uncomfortable as he was held hostage by his childhood friends. It's not like he wanted to do anything with Mr. Sorry-Light-I-Only-Give-Cards-To-Girls anyway (that ship had sailed!) Yamamoto certainly didn't when he was in his right mind—he made that abundantly clear. Meaning it was him, whatever this demony-thingy was, that was causing this… Light sweat-dropped again. The longer the party went on the probability that he'd get gang-banged before the day was over was rapidly approaching one... Light experimentally lit up a couple little sparks of flame. Ryou and Yamamoto yelped and broke away.

"Ow! Fucking static!" Light hissed at the same time as he put out the fire. Ryou and Yamamoto seemed to accept the explanation and at least they had the good grace to look sheepish.

00000

Lunch presented more such awkwardness. Light hadn't taken two steps through the door before SOMEONE was trying to grab his ass. Light was getting very irritated about the whole thing. Wasn't it obvious he wasn't interested, would never be interested, and found dating his classmates about as interesting as watching cement dry? Well, he supposed he should be grateful it wasn't so obvious and that people were morons. (After all it made ruling over them as God a feasible goal.) Only his mother seemed to sense Light's discomfort and suggested they eat at home instead. No sooner had they returned to the Yagami household then Sayu announced it was "PRESENTS TIME!"

Light dutifully opened the gifts. His mother got him a new sweater, and an Advance XP (the silver one). Light felt a vein popping in his forehead. Ryuk must have dropped a hint (and made it look like his handwriting.) Light could only hope that said hint wasn't on Death Note paper.

Another gift was a gift basket filled with apple-scented bodywash and lotion. Since the apples kept disappearing around him his family had come to the conclusion he loved apples. Light purposefully avoided eye contact with Ryuk—those had to go in the trash A.S.A.P. before his newly lecherous Shinigami-turned-stalker got any ideas. (Too late).

Light quirked his eyebrow when he unrolled the poster his sister had gotten him. A Hideki Ryuuga poster. Now was this a case of Sayu getting him what _she _wanted or... Sayu winked at him. Then did Sayu know he was a fan as well? (And if it WAS the same Ryuuga how he might just have just as much of a crush on the idol as she did?) Because he sure as hell didn't tell her!

His father had sent along a gift (that was actually for his graduation since he had forgotten about his birthday) but Light accepted it just the same. It was a very nice watch. Especially with how easy it would be to modify the casing on the back... It would be very useful in the future.

Ryou got him the latest _Assassin's Creed_ game and Yamamoto got him a Magneto action figure. Now from previous birthdays he had the whole set. Light had to keep from rolling his eyes. Just because Yamamoto was an _X-men_ otaku didn't mean they all were. He had just turned eighteen! Weren't they a bit old to be playing with toys? Still he didn't want to hurt his friend's feelings so he accepted it with a smile. Since the cheap plastic supervillain had actual magnets in it Light placed it far away from the electronics on the table... in the empty chair usually reserved for Souichiro that they all knew would remain empty as the Chief would continue working. Only Light knew that, in a way, he did have his father's attention this year—and while being the prime suspect in a mass murder case wasn't exactly the type of attention he wanted from his father, beggars can't be choosers.

Cake was next. Light didn't really care for sweets but his mother seemed to think he liked chocolate cake since he always requested it—because Sayu liked chocolate cake. The others all marveled that he managed to blow out all eighteen candles in one try. (Unbeknownst to them he had a bit of help from a Shinigami flapping his wings...)

"Oh! What did you wish for?" asked Yamamoto.

"Stupid! If he tells it won't come true!" his sister scolded.

"Was it for a car?" asked one of his classmates.

"Or maybe a hot new girlfriend?"

Light was struck with the sudden epiphany that these people that he lived with his family, his friends—they really didn't know him at all. He supposed that was fortunate, but still...

"I wished for world peace," Light replied in a grave tone.

"Wha—Seriously?"

"You're no fun," Sayu pouted. "And now it won't come true! Dummy!"

Only Light could hear the Shinigami snickering in the background.

"Yes it will," Light insisted, eyes shining with idealism and determination "because we'll make it happen! It will take more than wishing to make it true. We all need to do our part! I can count on you, right guys?"

Yamamoto rolled his eyes. "You're such a dork."

Light gave them a winning, fake smile accompanied by an equally fake laugh, the one he reserved for these awkward social situations. They never could tell the difference.

00000

Light managed to weasel his way out of playing a game of Twister (whoever invented that game was _EVIL!_) by claiming to be not feeling too well and sat out on the living room chair (the couch was too much of an invitation... not that it stopped some girls he didn't know the names of from draping themselves all over him) watching, with growing horror as his "friends" kept getting more and more possessive of him as the day wore on.

"Light is MY bestest friend!"

"No way, Light is MY bestest friend!"

"My gift was cooler, right Light?"

The hours passed.

Yamamoto finally seemed to notice that Light was the only one not having any fun… It all began as a totally misguided attempted to cheer him up…

"You know what we need to live up this party? Drinks!"

That snapped Light out of his funk. "NO! Just... that's ILLEGAL!"

"Aw, lighten up, Light! It's not every day you turn 18!" Yamamoto's year of studying abroad must have left him confused. Eighteen was not the legal drinking age in Japan-to partake in this would be a CRIME!

Light crossed his arms across his chest and scowled. "No I will not have _booze_ at my party."

"There is no booze; it's wine! We're fucking sophisticated here!"

"Language!" Light hissed. His little sister was in the room for fuck's sake!

"Hey, it's not like dad will ever know..."

"Sayu!" Light was utterly scandalized by his sister wanting to partake in this.

That clinched it. There was NO way… it was a crime. Criminal. EVIL. It was hardly the sort of crime he typically judged but still it was the principle of the thing. He couldn't become less than perfect! Light lunged at Yamamoto and they struggled over the bottle. Light managed to wrest it away with such force that the bottle hit the wall and turned to glass shards, cutting the palm of his hand to the bone. In shock, Light slipped and fell backwards, banging his head against the wall.

There was a disconnect and for a moment everything else ceased to exist but the blood pouring down onto the shards of glass that now littered the floor catching the reflection of the rising moon as it shone through the window-a reflection that shifted and turned red when his blood mixed with the white wine as if in silent offering to Hecate. The red fountain turned to black...


	5. In The Blood

**A/N: **_I do not own Death Note_.

000000

**Chapter 5 In The Blood **

"What is going on in here?" Sachiko demanded and pushed her way through her son's concerned admirers to see for herself what was wrong... And then all that mattered was her son was hurt.

Light blinked slowly as he became aware of his mother tugging him away. How embarrassing.

What just happened? What went wrong? Did he slip up somehow? Would he have to kill them all because of it? _Could_ he kill them? His closest family and friends? Light thought he was prepared to sacrifice anything… but Sayu? _His mother?_ No... no need to worry about it. She knew nothing. They all knew nothing. There was no sense getting wound up over nothing... And why was it so hard to connect his thoughts at the moment? Wasn't he just at a party...? The room seemed to swim around him as he dully watched as the blackened blood poured out of his hand as if it was happening to someone else... It felt no more real than watching something on TV. How did that happen? Well he supposed it was only natural after all he had sacrificed for the good of the world that he should develop _stigmata_. A mad giggle bubbled up from his throat at the thought of it.

His mother glanced at her son with growing concern as she took him into the bathroom and retrieved the first aid kit to clean the blackened wound. Throughout the day she had watched the other kids' behavior towards her son with growing concern. And now this... this confirmed her worst fears. They both watched as the wound closed, healing on its own.

"Oh Light. I was afraid of this."

Light came out of his fugue moment to his mother brushing his bangs aside to shine a light in his eye (very red eyes. _Demon_ eyes).

"Mom? What is it?"

His mother was silent and continued caring for her son. Her son who was so smart and handsome, a son any mother could be proud of, her little angel...

Tears welled up in Sachiko's eyes.

Her silence was more damning than any scolding words could ever be.

"Mom? What is it? What's wrong?" Light demanded and was met with more stony silence. Quite frankly it was scaring him. "It was just a little cut. I'm fine!"

His mother wordlessly handed him a hand mirror and Light discovered, to his horror, that his eyes were glowing red again.

_Oh shit! _Would he have to...?

"**Oh! Oh! Is there is there a Baiziin for that?"** Ryuk cut in before he could finish that thought.

Way to ruin his dramatic moment! Maybe parking the Shinigami in front of the television all day wasn't such a good idea... In any case eye drops weren't going to cut it...

Light quickly analyzed the situation. The way his mother was acting was... strange. True she seemed freaked but she didn't seem too surprised to see this... almost like she was... _expecting this?_

"Light..." his mother began gravely, "there's something I need to tell you." Yes, she would tell him and afterwards—depending on his answers—Sachiko knew she would have to make an impossible choice... whether or not to kill her only son in his sleep or risk letting him live... "You can't tell anyone. Not even your father."

"What is it?" Light asked; his curiosity peaked. Could it really be that his _mom_ had the answers to what was happening to him?

"Promise me!"

"...Alright."

His mother sat down on the edge of the bathtub. She looked conflicted on how to begin. She finally settled on. "Have you noticed any... changes lately?"

"No... not really," Light lied easily. "Why?"

Ryuk chuckled **"Ah, aren't you gonna tell her about the wings?"**

"Are you seeing anyone? Any girls...? Is there anyone you really like?"

"Mom!" As if the sex talk wasn't awkward enough when his father tried to give it...

"Light, this is important! There's a condition that runs in my family. It is absolutely _vital_ that you are honest with me! It is a matter of life and death! Have you yourself experienced an increase in libido?"

Light was sure his face must have matched his eyes as his mother kept talking. But what could this _condition_ possibly be? In truth his mother's words were beginning to scare him; Sachiko had Light worried enough that he might have a rare form of cancer or something that he did answer (relatively) honestly.

"...Yes... Mom, what sort of... _condition_ is this?"

"It varies from individual to individual. Light... I saw those girls were all over you today. How did you feel about that?"

The urge to bury his face in his hands was strong. "Uncomfortable. They were heavy."

"Light if you don't take this seriously..."

"I am being serious! I didn't really like it but I didn't want to be rude."

"Is there any one girl you particularly like?"

"No... not really... I.. I'm..." _gay_. "I just want to focus on studying right now!"

Sachiko looked relieved but then something else seemed to occur to her.

"Light... do you hate women?"

"_What?_ No!"

"Have you had any... dark urges? Wanted to hurt them. Wanted to... rape them?"

"No! Of course not! I would NEVER—! Jeez, mom what sort of _condition_ is this?"

"I'm so sorry Light!" Light startled as his mother embraced him in a bear hug and broke down crying. Light looked uncomfortable. He had never much liked physical contact, even from his family.

"This is all my fault!"

"Mom, calm down! H-hey... It'll be okay! Whatever this is... it's not your fault, okay?"

"It is. My family... _I_ have demon blood in my veins!"

"Wha—?... Demon? That's—that's crazy!"

Ryuk sniggered. **"…And the Academy Award for Best Acting goes to…." **

"I know it's hard to believe, son, but it's true. Please listen." Sachiko sat down next to him and began to tell him the story. "Light... your great- great great-grandmother was a child of rape, no one ever knew by who but the family always held it was a demon… and I believe them. I've always feared the blood was strong in you but it's so far removed I didn't think it was possible..." Sachiko then removed contact lenses from her eyes revealing that her eyes were not actually brown but bright and red, just like Light's.

"**Woah!"** Ryuk exclaimed, startled; his reaction totally antithetical to Light's stoical expression.

"Other than the eyes the curse hasn't affected me at all."

"A curse? What _kind_ of..." Then it clicked as he remembered his mother's prior line of questioning. "Wait... so... You think I'm going to turn into some sort of _rapist?_"

"And killer," his mother finished bluntly, tears flowed freely now.

"**Awk-ward~…"**

_Shut up, Ryuk. _"I'm not like that! I'll never be that! Mom, I'm better than that!" Light insisted.

"**Hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk hyuk!" **

Yes, he did what he must for the sake of the perfect world. He was well aware of the hypocrisy. That was his sacrifice. But he would never _RAPE _anyone! That was just _SICK!_

"I know. You're a good boy, Light. We'll take care of this. Whatever else you may be you're still my son." As Sachiko hugged her son to her again she felt around and found the same pressure point that Ryuk had found earlier. Light's demonic traits—the wings, horns, and tail, snapped out on their own accord. Light didn't have to work too hard on his 'shocked and horrified' act as he pretended to be seeing them for the first time.

His mother gasped. She knew that the blood ran stronger in the males of the family but _this_, this was... "Impossible. You… you're a _full blood!_"

"Wait what does that _mean?_"

No matter how good or kind her son was, without a doubt he would have the urge... he would rape, he would kill... "Light... I'm so sorry!"

Sachiko's mother had warned her about this. By all rights she should kill Light before he got a chance to become a killer and to keep him from spreading his genes. But if he was a _full blood..._ then she couldn't kill him even if it got to the point where she HAD to... There was no stopping him. He wouldn't die. There were ways of controlling a full blood... but to actually use them _on her own son?_

Light winced as he saw his mother in tears yet again. "Mom... This isn't your fault, alright? Please, stop apologizing. Whatever this is, I can handle it. We'll get through this, okay?"

Sachiko nodded. "Yes. We'll hide it. I love you son but you need to get out of this house, for your sister's sake..."

That was just what Light wanted to do anyway however...

"I'd NEVER hurt Sayu!" Light was beyond insulted that his mother would think he would ever willingly harm his little sister.

"It's just a precaution, son."

Light sighed. "I understand..."

His mother then surprised him by pulled back a panel in the medicine cabinet revealing a hidden compartment in the wall that he never guessed was there. Light was impressed. He never really considered it before but perhaps he inherited his genius from his mother? But then why did she settle for such a simple life of cooking and cleaning?

From the secret compartment Sachiko retrieved a couple of items—a small box and a bottle of pills. The box contained brown color contact lenses the pills were incredibly heavy antipsychotics—with the main side-effects being "fatigue and a decrease in sexual drive."

The pills—that explained so much! His mother was always on the pills! Why else would she _have_ the pills? Perhaps she had the "curse" worse than she let on... That would explain why his mother seemed tired all the time in between her manic bursts of cooking and cleaning, how she got exhausted so easily... Light had read about this type of antipsychotic. Its use was very controversial because for the patient taking it, it became a challenge to even function at all. That his mother was able to look after them and his father didn't suspect a thing... She played the role of a completely normal housewife. He must have gotten his acting talents from his mother too.

"Please, Light. Take the pills so you don't hurt people. _Please_."

Light had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. He of all people didn't need antipsychotics! After all he only ever killed responsibly. If he didn't he would, as Ryuk suggested, just go on a killing spree and go insane. He wasn't like that. _He wasn't..._

Light sighed but pretended to take the offered pill for his mother's sake (cheeking it to spit out later.) His mother ruffled his hair (messing it up so it stuck up just like his horns.) "You're a good boy, Light. The best advice I can offer you is to stay celibate but if you do ALWAYS use protection, be discreet and... and try to find someone who deserves it: criminals, whores, someone who will not be missed."

_Wait, what? _"Mom! I'm fine. I don't need to..." Light rapidly protested that he would ever take such an action, speaking around the pill which began to taste bitter in his mouth. Ryuk's annoying snickering ground to a halt as he gaped openly at both mother and son before he began cackling louder than ever before **"Oh! Oh! So _interesting!_ She's just like— You're just like—" **

If Light allowed such a show of emotion he wouldn't know whether to laugh or cry. Even if his mother didn't _know_ she _understood_. His mother shared his ideals. Would he have to kill her because of it? Sachiko hugged her son, sobbing. _He's such a good boy... but he's a full blood. It's only a matter of time... _


	6. A Journey of Self Discovery

**A/N: **_I own NOTHING!_

00000

**Chapter 6 A Journey of Self Discovery **

There was just barely enough room to turn around in but all told it was _very spacey_ for a cheap apartment. The room came with two iron-framed Western-style beds that were bolted into the floor. Light tested the mattress slab by flopping down on it and found it to be as hard as a rock—he imagined it was not unlike those of a prisoner's barracks (and quickly banished that uncomfortable thought.) Well you get what you pay for and if the bed was too uncomfortable his mother had also packed him a futon. On the plus side the room also had a balcony with a view of the Tokyo cityscape. That was nice; he could overlook his kingdom from there, and a private shower—that last part had been the selling factor when they decided to take it. It was all but necessary with his… condition.

However there was a reason why the apartment was so cheap—it was a definite fixer-upper and in this part of town he was no doubt living right next door to gangsters and prostitutes and the building was, without a doubt, owned by a faction of the Yakuza. (Kira clearly needed to focus more on organized crime… and if all went well he might not even have to pay rent this month.) The room would be even cheaper and seem even smaller once someone answered the ad his mother put in the paper. In order to afford the apartment he'd have to share it with a roommate. (Of course there were plenty of ways he could make money off his powers but Light refused to go down that rout—to compromise the very ideals he stood for just to make a little cash. From the very beginning he had decided he would only use the Notebook to make the world a better place.)

Having a roommate might be a bit problematic in the future but he was prepared—especially once he'd worked a few minor details out… Light was hoping to get a female roommate. There would be less temptation that way (at least as far as he was concerned.) Yes, the ideal roommate would be a girl with no sexual interest in him… a lesbian then; a girl that never bothered him or gave him a second glance. Also she would be studious and quiet, tidy, never play loud or annoying music, and never go through his stuff. Such a roommate might even _survive_ being his roommate. Hmm, perhaps he should write an ad of his own… In any case Light knew he had to gain perfect mastery of his new powers (and _urges_) before someone answered the ad his mother wrote...

"I don't know about this..." Light began for his mother's sake, playing the role of the soon-to-be college freshman striking out on his own.

"You'll be fine son. Just remember that college is a journey of self-discovery!" Sachiko announced brightly for the sake of their audience.

The landlord gave them an odd look before leaving. He probably thought Sachiko was a bad mother for letting her son live in this squalor but Sachiko knew Light could take care of himself. Light was a full-blooded immortal demon. She almost pitied any poor criminal who would try to rob the place... Though she didn't tell Light this in so many words—she didn't want her son developing some sort of complex or thinking he was superior to the rest of humanity just because he had inherited a little bit of power.

Light had mixed feelings about all of this. On the one hand this was exactly what he wanted. Now that he had his own apartment he would have more freedom to act as Kira. But still, he wished it was won under better circumstances. it felt like he was being kicked out of the house—as if he'd EVER hurt his sister! Even when acting under a so-called "curse." But Light was sure his mother would keep his secret (especially when she saw that this "curse" hadn't affected him in the slightest and that no woman was in danger from his condition (_men_ on the other hand...)

"Just remember you need to be careful!" His mother insisted as she helped him unpack. "Especially with Kira out there! I don't know if Kira can kill our kind or not but you can never be too careful. Also be careful of other demons. I can see them sometimes... I catch glimpses... and I think one might be following you."

Light nearly dropped the box he was moving. His mother saw Ryuk? Light forced himself to remain calm and not react visibly to that disturbing new piece of information.

No, it would be alright.

His mother was very helpful and she would keep his secrets. (And she knew nothing about the IMPORTANT secret.) She was no threat to him. He wouldn't have to kill her... At least that's what Light assured himself.

"You'll be alright," his mother insisted again as she hugged him good-bye. "I have every confidence in you. I love you, son." she said and "Remember to call."

And then she left him alone.

Light wondered what his dad would think about all this. It was mere hours after his mother had "the talk" with him and his father was still at work. They hadn't even asked his opinion before moving out of the house. It was simply pack and go, much to his sister's confusion...

Light sighed and surveyed his new apartment (it was definitely a fixer-upper) and went through a mental checklist of his priorities. Light kept his Notebook hidden within the lining of his jacket during the move but he'd have to find a new hiding place for it soon—there was his future roommate to consider as well and also his apartment wasn't real secure (Light broke the lock twice already without even trying because he kept forgetting his own strength.)The last thing he wanted was the source of Kira's power falling into the hands of a criminal. He had an idea of where he might hide it but he'd have to try _that_ later. Step one was look normal. Looking normal was important. He couldn't have anyone suspecting he might be Kira... or a demon for that matter.

Dammit, this "curse" was terribly inconvenient! But his mother was right. He could handle it. He just had to be so much more careful in the future and allow no one else to suspect he was anything other than a perfectly normal college freshman... Light decided that that meant he needed to get his space tidy as soon as possible. Okay, so maybe that wasn't exactly _normal _for a college student but it was a matter of personal pride that he kept his living space neat and orderly and it was most unfitting for the God of the New World to sleep in this rat's nest as is. Light got out a bucket of soap and water and with epic strokes began scrubbing the floors and walls. Getting to work also helped distract his overactive imagination from wandering to thoughts of a certain dark-haired man that he might, admittedly, be becoming a teensy bit obsessed with. Perhaps… one day, when the world accepted Kira maybe he could arrange a meeting with this Ryuuga—just the two of them. Ryuuga of course would be in awe of meeting his God and would meet his any request… Such as stripping off all of his clothes and kneeling before his throne...

Light gritted his teeth and angrily scrubbed at the floor.

_Stupid_. Such a move would only be putting the man in danger! He really needed to get over this unhealthy obsession and focus on his mission and on making his new apartment livable. After finishing his side, since he couldn't stand to leave the job half-finished he cleaned his future roommate's side of the room too as he became aware of just how filthy the floor really was. Ew. A shower was _definitely_ in order after he finished in here (and after he cleaned the bathroom too... _Uck!_)

That's right, he was Kira and if he could make the world a better place then turning this little hellhole into paradise should be child's play...

"**Man, I'm getting tired just watching you,"** Ryuk grumbled as Light worked tirelessly. With the promise of apples, Light had the Shinigami checking for cameras (just to be safe) and when he found none, Light put him to work filling up the embarrassing cracks and holes in the wall with grout.

Light realized belatedly that his stamina seemed to have greatly improved since he woke up a demon this morning. Perhaps this wasn't such a "curse" after all. Maybe now he could stay up later and write more names… And he recalled how he had cut his hand earlier and it had_ healed_. Did that mean he was... _invincible_ now, a true _GOD?_ Or was that healing power taken out of his lifespan or something? Cells have only a set number of divisions so unless this "Curse" changed his entire biological makeup he shouldn't get too carried away. Just because he might have some new abilities didn't mean he should be any less careful or take to using his body as a meatshield. He still had a lot of work to do on creating his ideal world… and on reassembling his bookcase. Light swore as his hold slipped and he bashed his thumb with the hammer. For a moment his thumb turned purple and bruised before swiftly returning to normal. Well that answered that question—he did indeed have a healing power. (Light wondered if that meant he had suddenly become more accident prone.)

"This is no curse! This means I've made it, Ryuk! _**I AM A GOD!**_" Light announced gleefully.

Ryuk cackled, ecstatic at Light's proclamation. This was so interesting! Just like when they first met… Now that the shock of Light's transformation had worn off a bit he came to realize Light was still _his _Light; dangerous to everyone else but not to _him_. Not really. Ryuk was sure he could hold his own against the young demon and Light would always want _someone_ to brag to. Now he would never have to go back to that dull Shinigami world. He could hang out here where things were so much more colorful, and watch Light's fascinating scheming, and play Mario Kart.

"**I wonder if that's what it's like? Having a little brother?" **Ryuk mused aloud.

"What's that Ryuk?"

"**Us. We're like… brothers, right? I mean since you're a demon, I don't have to kill you now and Shinigami and demons are like distant kin. So we're **_**almost**_** the same species…" **

Light's eyes narrowed and became cold and calculating as Ryuk began invading his space again. He knocked Ryuk's hovering claws away before they fell upon his person.

"If we're 'like brothers' then that means you should stop coming onto me."

Ryuk looked crestfallen. Was he really that transparent?

Light brushed past him and flopped down onto his newly made bed; his shirt hiked up a bit revealing a tantalizing glimpse of the creamy skin underneath. Ryuk let loose a growl. Surely Light knew damned well how sexy that was? The bastard was _flaunting_ it!

"Hey, Ryuk... "

"**Yeah…?" **

Maybe, just maybe, Light wasn't aware of how amazing he looked and what it was doing to him. Yeah... OR he was just being a manipulative little bastard. Knowing Light it was probably the latter.

Light smirked coyly at the Shinigami. "What do you know about demons?"

_**Oh that's your game, is it? **_** "Well there are many different kinds of demons. Each has a different purpose, a different role. Naturally the Shinigami's role is death but you're obviously a different type of demon. You have a different role..."** The Shinigami trailed off, watching the rise and fall of the young demon's chest.

"...And?" Light prompted.

"**Uh… I'm thinking…"** Ryuk's grin stretched wider. **"I… don't know. I think I need to see your wings and everything again. You know, to properly uh… classify you…"**

"You're memory is so bad you can't even remember a few hours ago?"

"**Er…Yeah…**"

Light sighed in exasperation as he unbuttoned his shirt. Ryuk's ploy was obvious but he'd play along for now. There were things about his "condition" that his mother didn't know or wouldn't tell him and he needed to know... and anything Ryuk could tell him would be more reliable than the contradictory accounts of the supernatural he had paged through since discovering it actually existed...

Ryuk watched in fascination as Light stood, shirtless before the mirror. Light's face clenched up in slight discomfort as he unfurled his crimson wings. Ryuk advanced and Light lit up another fireball.

"Don't touch me," Light said in a warning tone.

Ryuk threw up his hands in a placating gesture and hovered at what he considered to be a "respectable" distance away and "studied" Light. The former human was clearly in an _excited _state. Perhaps reverting to his true form caused him to become more excitable...

Ryuk's eyes bore into Light's back as he pretended to be studying his wings.

Hey if you leave the apple out lying around it's asking to be eaten, right?

**"Hmmm... I'm sure I've seen this somewhere before..."** Ryuk began as a pretext to creep closer.

Light sighed. "You really have no idea, do you?"

**"Well... we know it's the kind of demon that goes around raping humans. That should say something."** Ryuk supplied helpfully.

Light glared at his reflection. Disgusting! The very thing he was trying to eliminate from this world...

"Whatever this condition might be I can assure you I won't be _raping_ anyone!"

**"Hyuk. you _know_ I can help you with that..."**

"_That _i_s_ definitely out of the question!" Light muttered, answering automatically as he was once again mesmerized by his reflection. He was disgusted and fascinated by the physical changes that were wrought upon his body when he transformed. With both hands he again traced the curve of his horns. "What the hell do I even need _horns_ for anyway?" Light grumbled aloud.

Ryuk smirked. All that flesh, unguarded... Light yelped in outrage as Ryuk grabbed at his chest from behind. **"I think they're something for your seme to hold onto,"** Ryuk panted into his ear. **"They'd be perfect for bending you backwards and fucking you damn hard..."**

"Enough!" Light violently pushed the monster away, his cheeks burning. "I warned you not to touch me!" Damn. Light was flaming again, in every sense of that word. His eyes were gleaming crimson as he snarled "You defied me. I will _**punish you.**_**"**For extra effect, Light's voice dropped a couple of octaves for those last two words...

_**Oh shi—**_Ryuk scurried away, dodging fireballs and made his escape through the wall. He made a note to wait until Light cooled down a bit before trying again…

Light stopped, swore, and extinguished the fires he started before he burned down the apartment. After he was sure the Shinigami was gone and wouldn't be coming back for a while he quickly made use of the Ryuk-free time to take his shower.

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Ryuk (still slightly singed from his previous attempt at flirting) kept well away from the enraged demon, perching on the balcony, and merely watching with interest as Light ripped a number of pages out of the Death Note and then sealed it inside a plastic box, and then the box went into his bookbag. Usually Light would tell him his plans in great detail but apparently they still weren't on speaking terms. When Light saw he was there he only gave him an angry glare.

"**What? You asked!"**

"I never _asked_ you to molest me!"

"**About the horns!"** Ryuk attempted to defend himself.

"It was a rhetorical question!" Light snarled. "And really, do you think I'd _ever_ be the passive one?" Light scoffed.

Ryuk was about to say yes (after all he had on occasion caught Light fingering himself and when Light finally did agree to have sex with him _he_ sure as hell wasn't going to be the one on the bottom...) but he bit his tongue not wanting to sabotage his (nonexistent) chances of getting into Light's pants.

While he was out Light had apparently taken his shower and changed into a pair of tight blue jeans, his new demon tail lewdly spilling out over the rim of his pants. Ryuk was surprised that Light was still wandering around shirtless after that earlier fiasco. Maybe he should interpret that as an invitation—_**uh oh.**_ Light had caught Ryuk staring and was looking hostile again. Not eager to have his feathers set on fire _again_ Ryuk quickly remembered something that might appease the demon.

"**Oh! Oh! Light? I think I've figured out what kind of demon you are!" **

"Really?" Light prompted skeptically.

Ryuk noticed Light was lighting a flame in his palm again so he spoke quickly.

"**You're a… what do you call it Suca—Succubus? Wait no, that's the girl-demon… ink? Yeah, that's it… you're an incubus!" **

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A Gentle search later and Light was beginning to understand why his mother wanted him out of the house. This _was_ dangerous.

"An Incubus. Seriously? As in the demons that goes around impregnating sleeping nuns? Jeez, would you listen to this, Ryuk. Apparently in Medieval England it was preferable to be raped by a demon than the idea that woman had consensual sex."

"**Yep!"** Ryuk agreed with some certainty. Light looked at the Shinigami askance.

"Do you speak from experience, Ryuk?"

Ryuk had indeed witnessed those centuries first-hand. However, **"Hey, I don't go around sleeping with humans! That's forbidden! Rule 36. A Shinigami cannot have sex with a human or with other Shinigami."**

Light threw up his hands in frustration. "Then why do you keep hitting on me?"

"**You're not human. Really, can you blame me? You're very sexy." **

Light sighed. "Lucky me."

"**Yep!"**

"Wait, if you're forbidden from sleeping with humans and other Shinigami than have you ever done it...? Wait, you know what? Never mind. Don't answer that. _DON'T!_ I do _not_ want to know."

Light read some more of the article he had discovered on his "condition."

'_Incubi and succubae are very beautiful and sexually appealing inciting lust in everyone around them...'_

The way people were acting towards him at school; at his party... it made so much more sense now. He had that effect on everyone... _EVERYONE._ That was... problematic. He would need to stay as secluded as possible. He could take the majority of his courses online. That would probably be the safest thing to do. However he could also use this to his advantage. He could just flutter his eyelashes and make anyone tell him their true name... Light leaned back in his chair feeling very good about himself. When he abruptly returned to concern number one...

"If I have this effect on everyone, all the time... Does this mean _you_ are going to keep pestering me as long as we're—?"

"**So you see, you might as well sleep with me and get it over with. I promise you'll like it…. **_**Ow**_**!"**

Ryuk peeled himself off the floor, his face swollen from where Light punched him.

Light went back to ignoring him and kept reading "According to this 'Incubi and Succubae feed through sex, draining the victim's lifeforce like some kind of... _sex vampire_ frequently killing his or her victim in the process. Even those that survive the first encounter will become weak or ill and eventually succumb to death as once such a demon has claimed a human he or she will never let their victim go.' _Shit!_"

Sex wasn't high on Light's list of priorities (or at least that was true before these... bizarre alterations started playing havoc with his body and mind) but it was still mentally scarring to know he could never hope to have sex with anyone without _killing_ them.

Light had hoped to meet his Raven again; even if it was an impossible dream. (He _lived_ for impossible dreams…) But this? This just made it all that much more… difficult because now even if he met Ryuuga again nothing could ever happen between them. The last thing he wanted to do was kill a man he lov—

_Wait, what? No. No no no!_ He had never been so _sentimental!_ He didn't even _know_ the guy! And he was...sw_ooning like a lovesick schoolgirl?_ Fuck that! He was a _guy!_ And these... ( ugh!) _feelings_ were based on what? A curiosity? A fantasy? An obsession? How could he have such strong feelings for a man he didn't even know?

'_Once such a demon has claimed a human he or she will never let them go...'_

Dammit! Were these feelings a product of the "curse" too? This had to stop. It had to stop now! He had to put the stranger out of his mind...

However Light saw one silver-lining to learning he was a dangerous… sex bomb. "Do you know what this means, Ryuk?"

"**Huh?" **

"It means you need to _STOP_ hitting on me!"

"**Aw I didn't know you cared!"** Ryuk's grin widened as he informed the teen. **"But that won't work on me."**

"How can you be sure? I mean just look at this article. I am _very_ dangerous. It would suck out your lifeforce..."

"**It won't work on me for the same reason you can't kill me by writing my name in the Death Note, I'm immune to that kind of magic. So… I guess that means I am the only guy you know that you could uh… screw around with now without consequence…"**

Well shit. That backfired miserably. "Well how _nice_ for _you_..."

"**You sound very frustrated. Maybe we should…?" **

"No."

"**But I didn't even…"**

"Good."


	7. Gods and Monsters

**A/N: **_I own nothing. _

_**Warning**__ this chapter contains mature content._

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**Chapter 7 Gods and Monsters**

**Two Months later **

L Lawliet didn't particularly like public speaking, especially when having to do it _in person_. However it would have been worth it to get a rise out of Kira. However there was one slight problem...

"I have just been informed that Light Yagami has fallen ill," An important looking guy in a suit informed the student body. "Let's all wish him a speedy recovery. Please welcome the other top scorer, Hideki Ryuuga!"

_Crap._ L had no speech prepared seeing as he was planning on just copying and mocking Light's. Not that he cared in the least what the students thought about him but he did not like all those eyes staring at him. After a petrifying moment of complete terror L cleared his throat and made up some bullshit on the spot. Not that any of them were really paying attention to his speech anyway as they were focusing on the "mad genius scholarship student's" hair and clothes and asking loudly and disgustedly "Is _this_ the model we're supposed to aspire to?"

Oh _yes_, those kids were obviously _shining examples of humanity_ being so very _polite and respectable_ to the person asked to speak to them. So tolerant of anyone different that didn't fit into a narrowly defined model of what was "proper." Their parents must be proud—_really_—seeing as they were little carbon copies of them. No original thoughts here! Just play nice and be part of the herd and ridicule anyone who _isn't_ lest they see your own faults. It wouldn't matter to them if "Hideki Ryuuga" had an I.Q. bigger than all of their's combined. In fact that was just another source of ridicule. All that mattered to them was that he was "other," a "freak," not like them... bad... _evil_.

After "Hideki Ryuuga" quickly finished his impromptu speech he shuffled off the stage alone and then made a break for the door. No Kira, no reason to stay here with these whispering idiots. However it hadn't been a complete waste of time. Meeting Light's peers had leant some insight—the way the students all categorized people into little boxes of what was proper and improper, normal and deviant, good and bad—and knowing Kira, genius student Light Yagami (L was fairly certain they were one and the same), was fostered in this environment... It by no means excused what Kira was doing but it did go far to understanding Kira's mentality—which was very childish indeed. They were all little monsters, just waiting for the right opportunity to commit a crime.

Watari was there waiting for him outside with the Roll's. As they drove away L pondered on how it was very out of character for Light Yagami "the golden boy" to miss his own entrance ceremony. If he was scheduled to be there—he'd be there. That's how it should have gone! _Where the hell are you, Light Yagami! _

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The young man surveyed the area for potential targets. He knew he was sick—that he had a problem—but he just couldn't stop, he didn't want to and no one could make him...

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"More... _Please!_" The young man whimpered in ecstasy as the other pounded into his virgin ass. He never imagined he would enjoy himself so much on the bottom. At the back of his mind he felt that there was something very wrong—how he gave into the other man with no resistance—it was like the very scent of the other male had intoxicated him and was impeding his higher brain functions. However at the moment he felt so amazing he couldn't bring himself to care.

"You... can't handle anymore!" The other man snarled derisively but nevertheless his fingertips bit bruisingly into the other's hips as he thrust in harder and deeper. The uke moaned deeply in response, his sweat plastering his long black hair against his pale skin. Kaede's mother once told him his father was probably a Westerner—a frequent customer of her's. (Kaede hadn't particularly wanted to know so his mother was the first to die.)

Kaede had a need; there was something hollow inside that he could only fill with little boys. But he was clever, he had a system, and no one would ever find the bodies. That's how he found his partner. He had just been out stalking another schoolboy when the teen had appeared before him and turned his world upside down. The teen would have usually been too old for his tastes but there was just something about him—an innocence; a _naïvete_ that made him seem younger. Even when dressed in a sophisticated, flashy dark suit it only gave the impression that he was just a boy playing dress-up in his father's closet. The young man had paused when he noticed Kaede's staring, tilted his head and flashed him a coy smile, his dark shades sliding down the bridge of his nose to reveal a bit of those beautiful, crimson eyes. Kaede had become entranced; absolutely mesmerized by the look in those eyes, and by the graceful movements of the teen. At that moment he had to have him. He would do _anything_. He would follow him barefoot into Hell.

There was nothing soft or romantic about their encounter. A few whispered words found them together in a hotel room. As soon as the door closed they had been at each other like two feral beasts fighting over the same slab of meat. That had surprised him. The teen looked like a twink! He was younger and smaller and he smiled so sweetly. Kaede had gone in assuming he would be soft and submissive but it was a trap. His pretty face hid a very dominating personality.

After wrestling a bit Kaede was taken by surprise as the innocent-looking teen was slender but _strong, stronger than him_ and had quickly overpowered him. Kaede worked out regularly—it was important to stay physically fit. He had learned the hard way in the early days of his... hobby. When you put someone's life on the line even a weak child could display an amazing amount of strength when cornered. Kaede had nearly lost his right eye to a troublesome boy named Yori who had somehow managed to find a jagged piece of broken beer bottle in the abandoned building where he had kept him prisoner. After his face had healed Kaede had taken his time with that one. But Yori had left his mark—to this day the scar remained.

Kaede's surprise must have shown in his dark brown eyes as the other man laughed sadistically at his expense. He had just decided he would do the same to this selfish teen for his presumption as he had done to Yori but then... something changed. He couldn't explain it. He leaned in close breathing in the teen's heavy musk and then all he wanted was to just let the other man make him feel good. The teen looked _Godly_. Kaede told him so and his partner had smirked knowingly as he took his sweet time, marking and claiming him with soft kisses and gentle bites as if he was practicing for a part in a romance play. To Kaede's shame it took next to nothing to get him begging. When the other man demanded he get on all fours, _right now_ in a deep, lusty voice Kaede had rushed to obey.

The damn selfish child—_it hurt! _Kaede couldn't help it. He had screamed in pain when the teen had mounted him from behind. As tears welled up in his eyes the other had soothed him with practiced (_practicing_) touches before moving again.

Driven by some instinct the other man easily found that bundle of nerves and quickly overrode the pain. Then he was amazing, simply _divine_. The best fucking sex Kaede ever had. He had been planning on killing the brunette when this was over but this was just so damn _good_. Damn. Would that mean he had to pay him? Kaede assumed he was some kind of male prostitute.

But what was the price?

His lover... no that was a misnomer—what they were doing wasn't anywhere close to _love _as far as he understood it. His _fucker_ was terrifying. His every movement was so very controlled. Even now as they rode the waves towards the climax Kaede could tell he was holding back, maintaining perfect control. The bastard. Kaede wanted to make him lose it too. But it seemed no matter what he tried the teen remained controlled, almost... detached and kept going at the same pleasantly torturous pace. When Kaede was about to come his seme clamped down on the base of his manhood preventing him from coming before he was through with him.

If Kaede was capable of thought at the moment he would be wondering if the other man was he even human as he pushed them through a marathon like a fucking machine, going so long and hard that Kaede was sure his fucking balls would explode if he didn't...

The brunette finally granted Kaede release as the rubber inflated inside him. Kaede struggled to remain conscious, he could barely move and could only watch in awe and horror as the teen withdrew and with seemingly boundless energy had leapt from the bed and began getting dressed to leave.

"Wait, where the fuck are you going?"

"Out." the teen finally deigned to answer him.

"Wh-why?"

"I have things to do," he said blandly.

"Wait, what do I owe you?" Kaede grasped around searching for his wallet, desperately trying to stall the teen from going out that door because THAT seemed so final.

The teen wore a look of distaste. That was obviously not the right question.

"No need. Thank you. You have been _**very helpful**_," said the teen. His tone carried an extra meaning to his words _'you are of no importance.'_

"When can I see you again?" Kaede hated how pathetic he sounded but he just couldn't stand it! He _desperately_ wanted the teen to stay.

There was no need to say anything really, that _look_ alone conveyed the message _'You're an idiot.'_ "You won't."

"Why not? Was it me? Because I promise can do better!" the man pleaded. Light hated when they got clingy. Kaede was met with stony silence as the other man adjusted his tie.

"It meant nothing to you?"

Light rolled his eyes. "Get over yourself."

"You think you can just fuck me and leave?" Kaede shrieked. This wasn't like him. Kaede was usually a go-getter. He never took "no" for an answer. In fact he usually didn't even ask permission. But for some reason it was like he could do nothing else, like his answers were already scripted in some book of fate and he was naught but a marionette with this boy pulling his strings. This made Kaede even angrier.

_How unbecoming._ The teen nonchalantly checked his watch. "Yes. I have a life... Unlike you."

The man's face which moments ago had been flushed with passion was now was red with impotent rage.

"If it makes you feel any better I'll always remember your name, Kaede Nikoyama."

Kaede froze. Not only had he never given the other man his name he hadn't used that name for years. He had cut a deal—his records were sealed in exchange for his testimony...

"Who are you?" Kaede demanded. When he got no response, in a flurry, he retrieved his pistol from where he kept it hidden under his pillow. The teen remained unconcerned as Kaede flashed the gun in his face.

"Do you really want to shoot me, Kaede?" the stranger, the _fucker_ asked; a shit-eating grin plastered across his face. Kaede really, really did but he just couldn't find the will to pull the trigger.

The gun fell out of his shaking hand onto the bedsheets.

"_Please,_" Kaede begged pathetically. "Please can't I just have your number?"

The younger man just chuckled sadistically.

"You bastard! You OWE me! At least tell me your name!"

"My name..."

The teen glanced down at his watch again. "Hmmm... I suppose some call me... Kira."

For a moment Kaede thought his heart had stopped.

The boy laughed again and this time it looked absolutely _demonic_. Kaede had no doubt it _was_ Kira. He trembled, terrified against the headboard. Kira was here. Kira knew his name. _Kira_ fucked him and now surely Kira would kill him for his crimes.

"...But _you_ can call me _God._"

That was still processing Kira _the_ Vengeful God here in his hotel room... in human shape! Was he really a God? If he shot Kira would he bleed? But when he threatened him Kira didn't seem the least bit concerned.

Kaede would never know.

The gun still lay next to him on the bedsheets but as Kaede was petrified in terror it might as well be miles away.

"Why?" Kaede choked out. Surely Kira didn't give all his victims such a _personal_ touch.

"You know that was the way it was_ supposed to be_—do you think your victims had such a _nice time?_"

It was a cruel, cruel God that offered a glimpse of heaven before being cast down.

Kira chuckled again as he walked out that door with nary a glance; lingering only to put his cool shades back on before leaving the room.

"Farewell, Kaede Nikoyama."

As Light sauntered down the hallway of the hotel the echoing sound of a gunshot brought a smile to his face.

**"Wait, you didn't drain him?"** Ryuk asked in confusion as Light left the hotel.

Light gave the Shinigami an annoyed look. "Didn't you see what I wrote in the Death Note?"

In truth Ryuk had stopped reading over Light's shoulders after the first time Light had used the notebook in his Incubus power-testing experiments. The level of _detail _Light had put into it had left the Shinigami blushing. Ryuk had never seen the Death Note used _that way_ before.

"It was just an experiment to see if I have learned enough about my powers to have sex without draining my partner."

**"And...?"** Ryuk didn't want to know... but... he did. The Shinigami made a face as Light retrieved a baggy from his coat pocket that held the used condom. He disposed of it in a dumpster several blocks away.

That one was riskier than the others. When he drained his victims of lifeforce they would just dissolve to dust leaving no physical trace behind. But Light wasn't too concerned. This death would clearly be a suicide and no one would ever link it to Kira.

"There was one slight... complication... but my subject was so out of it he seemed to forget about it afterwards. In any case, I think it's safe to say I have mastered my powers."

**"What do you mean by a complication? And he was out of it? What; was it really _boring_ or something?"**

Light rolled his eyes. Ryuk was just jealous that he wasn't sleeping with him.

Light sighed. "I already told you! During sex I'm secreting something that makes my prey... er... I mean _the subject_ compliant and um... needy. They'll let me do whatever I want."

**"Oh?"**

"Maybe with further tests I can extract it, study it, maybe I could even weaponize it. It could come in handy if I'm ever in a tight spot..."

**"Hyuk hyuk. Yes, you've been getting into a lot of _tight spots_ lately."**

Light looked miffed at Ryuk's observation. _How juvenile._ _It's not like I'm enjoying this... much._


	8. Trash

**A/N: **_I OWN NOTHING! _

_**Disclaimer:**__ Warning—disturbing content depicting anatomically impossible sex and violence. Viewer discretion advised. _

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**Chapter 8 Trash **

**Two Months Ago**

Light had extensively tested his powers. He had greater strength (he could lift a car above his head if he ever felt the need) and heightened senses (useful for eavesdropping. Not so useful when the neighbor is playing loud music at three in the morning. You can't just report the neighbor's mysterious accident too soon either, after you've controlled him to turn the music off, or it would be too suspicious. You have to wait until the rot sets in and permeating the walls—which assaults your heightened sense of smell—to control another neighbor to find the body and call the police and then have that neighbor die in an accident twenty three days later—overall it's a huge hassle).

Light found he could seduce and enthrall a human to his needs, and after a few false starts (which would never be mentioned again under pain of severe apple deprivation) Light had learned to fly… and it was a good thing he could heal too. One time Ryuk had attempted to "help" Light during these practice sessions in the hopes of getting something for his troubles—catching him as he fell and attempting to carry him off bridal style—he should have known better. A humiliated Light isn't a grateful Light—far from it. Ryuk ended up dropping Light when he literally became too hot to handle.

To his credit Light's vow that he would never feed on anyone lasted an entire week.

Ryuk was there for the breaking point. The Shinigami had just returned from a quick flight around the neighborhood to find Light huddled in the corner of the shower under a steady stream of freezing water, the droplets turning to steam just before coming into contact with his burning skin. Light would later relate it had felt like his own fire was consuming him. His eyes were wild and upon seeing Ryuk let out an animalistic screech and began, quite literally, climbing the walls. Ryuk cackled. It seemed for all his denial the demon had needs after all. Ryuk had approached him then—he could see it in his eyes—Light had nearly let him have his way. But alas at the last moment he had regained his senses and Ryuk had been forced to flee, black and bleeding, the claw marks Light left behind just missed putting out an eye. Ryuk cursed Light's downright _inhuman_ stubbornness. He almost had him! Ryuk sulked as he listened outside the bathroom door as Light finished up in the shower.

Through sheer force of will Light somehow managed to get himself under some semblance of control or at least to the point that he wasn't burning everything in his path but the problem was in no way gone. He could feel the heat simmering just beneath the surface. There was no denying it—he needed to "feed." Light needed to feed but he didn't want to hurt an innocent. That of course left criminals—or as Light put it "rotten, evil bastards who totally deserved it"—and not just any criminals but the worst of the worst should receive this "special punishment." Of course that meant having sex with criminals, which was absolutely disgusting, but Light still found it to be less objectionable than Ryuk's idea. Hell, _any_ alternative was better than Ryuk's idea.

00000

His first time was with a serial murderer-rapist named Tatsuya Kosanage. Light had naturally turned to his old friend the Death Note to make sure it would all go smoothly. Light simply had to wait patiently (dodging glances of several other interested parties) until Tatsuya entered the restaurant and caught notice of him—that didn't take long at all.

Tatsuya Kosanage was a tall man with dark eyes and messy black hair. He wore black leather, which brought his sickly complexion into sharp relief. He was missing his left ring finger. That's because serial rape, mutilation, and murder was only a hobby for Tatsuya. His day job was working for those very nice people known as the Yakuza. Of all the criminals that warranted the "special punishment" he wasn't totally objectionable, well at least he looked a bit sexy... That's why Light picked him. But Light knew him to be rotten to the core. That was ALSO why he picked him. Under normal circumstances he would NEVER have considered having sex with this sleazebag. Light somehow managed to avoid dry heaving as he went along with the charade, putting his acting talents to good use so that all Tatsuya would see would be a "meek, shy school boy" and not the one who would be his death. Light had worn a trashy-looking black sweat suit for the occasion so that 1) It was less likely he would be recognized by anyone he knew and 2) Tatsuya would buy into his story about being a poor orphan… who won't be missed. Light kept the hoodie up and his shoulders slumped to help project the helpless "don't hit me" look he was trying to convey. True the black hoodie might have been a bit gloomy and ominous but he pitched the grey one after killing Raye Penber.

They exchanged words and soon Tatsuya was grabbing his wrist and dragging the "naïve school boy" to his kill site, an abandoned hotel, intending to make him victim number fifty, wholly unaware that his intended victim had a kill count of his own… that effortlessly dwarfed Tatsuya's. The murderer became annoyed when his victim failed to scream or show much of any reaction even when Tatsuya produced his knife and held it against his throat to show he wasn't fucking around. Even when Tatsuya brought him to his lair which was decorated with pieces of dead bodies everywhere the boy showed no reaction beyond a sudden sharp intake of breath.

_Really? Here?_ Light thought disgustedly as the sickly stench of old blood and rot assaulted him. Well what was he expecting when he propositioned a serial killer? A romantic affair? A candle-lit dinner and soothing music? Still this was a bit much. Light began to laugh brokenly.

Enraged, Tatsuya struck him across the face, knocking off the kid's dorky-looking sunglasses. Rage flashed over the boy's features but still there was no trace of the fear that Tatsuya was expecting, that he _needed_. Instead the boy smiled sadistically. Tatsuya froze, paralyzed like a rabbit that had locked eyes with a snake—they looked like the eyes of a snake, red and seemingly illuminated with their own light. Tatsuya couldn't move—the knife clattered uselessly from his hand. Light had written in the Death Note that Tatsuya Kosanage would "obey the man with the red eyes." Tatsuya didn't know what was happening—but he did know he was fucked. Self-aware but unable to control his actions his "victim" turned the tables on him.

"Tatsuya Kosanage. Take off all your clothes and against the wall, please" the boy/monster ordered in a sickeningly sweet tone.

Tatsuya rushed to obey. He stripped naked, the black leather garments pooling on the floor around him, and braced himself awkwardly against the wall, his ass hanging out in obvious invitation. Light shuddered; he couldn't hold himself back much longer. Light quickly shed out of his clothes and approached the other man. With mild fascination Light traced along the elaborate Yakuza tattoo etched into the skin of Tatsuya's back. It was literally layers upon layers of art, a mix of Eastern and Western designs and every time you looked at it another image would leap out like one of those Magic Eye puzzles. There was a black dragon coupling with a ferocious looking tiger both of which were curling around a long sword that pierced through a stylized bloody heart. Entwined in the design was a phrase in Latin.

"To the victor go the spoils," Light translated aloud. "You know, I must agree." Light gloated over his foe. Tatsuya opened his mouth to tell the teen how dead he was but he couldn't speak. Light had carefully stipulated in the conditions leading up to death that Tatsuya couldn't shout for help… or backtalk to him.

Light paused only to get out a rubber (there were no telling what diseases this vermin might be carrying) before the incubus took what he had needed for so long and roughly entered the man from behind, not bothering to prepare him first—Light had already discovered his demon body produced some kind of natural lubricant. Besides he could care less if he hurt the son of a bitch. Tatsuya's body contorted in a silent scream. Light worked to sooth him before moving again, planting little kisses down the skin of his back. Again, not that he cared. His kisses were venomous and held a hint of fangs. Light had no feelings for this man other than hatred and contempt. This was just a practice run, an experiment, a _game_—but Light played to win and he wanted to do it right. Even so he was admittedly awkward and rough about it. Tatsuya didn't seem to mind though, as he let out a muffled moan even as Light ripped him apart. Light frowned. It wasn't exactly his intention to give this asshole any pleasure. He consoled himself with the fact that Tatsuya would be dead before the night was through… Light found it helped to imagine that he was with someone else—he roughly grabbed the man's tangled raven hair as he concentrated on his own pleasure. As Light came close he lost control and reverted to his true form, his crimson wings snapping out of his back, the horns erupting out of his head. The changes were painful and he took it out on Tatsuya's ass. As he braced against the wall Tatsuya couldn't see what was going on but as Light's tail constricted around his hips, if he could he no doubt would have shrieked in terror but because he was controlled by the power of the notebook Tatsuya's scream was silent. Light used the tail to pull the other man back closer, to drive harder and deeper. The man's skin blistered as it moved against Light's already scorching skin. No doubt Tatsuya would have screamed if he could as he was set alight both inside and out.

Tatsuya's face was contorted in a horrified, silent scream as he was ripped apart and burned alive. Ryuk pondered he must have been able to _feel_ his lifeforce draining away. Tatsuya's bloody broken fingernails lodged into the concrete walls as the man had tried desperately to escape his fate. Ryuk had watched how the man's numbers drained to zero and Tatsuya dissolved to dust.

Ryuk had watched… and he never wanted to see it again. He had then agreed to from then on respect Light's privacy and leave the room whenever he did stuff like that. He had even stopped hitting on Light for a little while afterwards. True, Light couldn't hurt _him_ like that but still Ryuk had found it disturbing when the man Light had been fucking just _dissolved_. Perhaps it had been disturbing for Light too. Ryuk had watched wordlessly as after Light put out the fire he braced himself against the concrete wall to throw up. Light shivered and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before stoically reaching for his bookbag. He still had to wipe down the scene with the industrial grade bleach before he could return to his apartment.

00000

Ryuk wondered if he was imagining things—he could have sworn he heard a choked sob coming from the bathroom. What the hell was that about? Disgust? _Remorse? _More "Hunger" pangs? Or perhaps "feeding" just gave him indigestion? Light had seemed rather shocked when the man he was fucking _dissolved_… just like that. And for all his talk and for all the hundreds he put to death daily… it's not like he was very experienced with death firsthand. And for that matter… Ryuk knew it was Light's first time feeding but was that his _first time?_ He didn't seem very interested in sex before all this...

When Light had emerged from the shower he seemed his normal self… Well, normal for Light. Ryuk didn't think Light was anything like what humans would consider 'normal' and was probably what humans called 'crazy'… but that was entertaining at least.

Light offered no explanation for the sounds that Ryuk may or may not have heard and Ryuk didn't ask. The Shinigami simply looked away.

A few hours later Ryuk was getting concerned as Light still seemed kind of listless. Not even his daily dose of serial murder cheered him up. Writing in the notebook usually had Light laughing in sadistic glee but not today. The whole ordeal must have gotten to him worse than he thought.

Ryuk went up to where Light was slumped in his office chair and poked him. **"Hey, Light!"** the Shinigami began enthusiastically.

Light glared at the Shinigami in the universal nonverbal sign of _"I don't want to deal with your shit right now."_ Light sighed. "What is it, Ryuk?" Light asked resigned and a bit brokenly.

**"Want to play some video games?"**

Ryuk wondered why that idea didn't cheer Light up. It always cheered _him_ up.

After an awkward silence Light spoke, hollowly; "I wrote that Tatsuya Kosanage would die from having sex with an incubus." He shuddered. Tatsuya had gone out with a smile before he dissolved to dust. It was never his intention to give that asshole any pleasure. "That that wasn't impossible meant that you were right. I am a… a…"

**"An Incubus?"** Ryuk's grin widened.

Light frowned. He _wasn't_ a demon. _He wasn't._ Alright technically he was; but he was not overly fond of that label. He felt it didn't accurately describe who he was. He wasn't a demon in the same way he wasn't a murderer. He had naturally surpassed such quaint little categories to become God. Light knew it was his destiny to find the notebook and now that he discovered that this was his birthright—he was THE CHOSEN ONE. To Light in his… _alternate_ state of mind that was the most obvious thing in the world.

Tatsuya was naturally just the beginning. True to his word Light had never "raped" anyone. They always wanted to sleep with him. If they made assumptions about how that would work well… that was their problem. And while that whole business with Tatsuya was traumatizing Light simply chose to look at it as a valuable learning experience—in time he would learn how to have sex without setting his partner on fire. From his experiments Light discovered he could go without feeding for an entire lunar cycle. Male or female Light could have anyone falling for his charms—that was nothing new. Light didn't really bother with the girls other than regular cover dates to keep up appearances. It wasn't a _complete_ waste of time—Light continued to practice being "the perfect gentleman" as well as the art of escape when the girls didn't want him to leave and became insistent about it. Light had yet to figure out how to "turn off" his seduction power or if that was even possible—_everyone_ was attracted to him, EVERYONE, whether he wanted them to be or not. Light did not take the decision to become a shut-in lightly. But come to think of it, it was only natural he should stand above and apart from the rest of humanity. He was God of this New World. So be it, this was his sacrifice.

0000

**Present**

"Any new leads, Ryuuzaki?" the Chief asked as he walked in the door.

L rapidly closed the other window on his laptop as he heard someone enter his hotel room. It was just an interesting little side oddity he had been investigating—a sting of disappearances in the Tokyo area.

It began when Daiki Kosanage the _Oyabun_ of the _Kuro Ryuu_, the Black Dragons Gang, contacted him or rather "Eraldo Coil" to inquire into his son's disappearance, and willing to pay the net worth of a small country to get him back. From questioning Daiki and his own research L learned that Tatsuya Kosanage was a mafia hitman so it wasn't like he couldn't defend himself. Perhaps Kira killed him and he was rotting in a back alley somewhere? In any case it was unlikely that he was still alive but "Eraldo Coil" promised to look into it and L did when there was a lull in the Kira Case and he discovered that Tatsuya was just the first of many victims. So far almost all of them had been of Caucasian descent and had dark hair. At first L thought it might be a hate crime. But then more data came in and it turned out that all of the missing persons had something else in common—they were all pedophiles, rapists, or serial killers—this was confirmed thanks to an anonymous tipster that kept feeding the police information on where to find the trophy rooms. L was 95% certain that the anonymous caller was behind the disappearances. (Now if he could just listen in when this individual called… he could trace the location, even if he used a voice filter there was a chance L would be able to unscramble it, and to talk to this individual—he could learn so much more about their personality. L had surmised much already—the perpetrator thought he was untouchable and it was highly likely there was a police connection seeing how he knew how to so thoroughly erase his presence from the scene—any samples they might find were too degraded to use. Whoever did this –he was good.

That had peaked L's curiosity more than the promise of money. Not only were the victims criminals (and this tipster went out of his way to point that out) but that they disappeared without a trace. Though the M.O. didn't match the _ideology_ behind it appeared to be the same as his current case…

_Perhaps a copycat? Or has Kira simply expanded his bag of tricks?_

If it WAS Kira… perhaps he would get sloppy and leave some physical evidence behind...

L had noticed when looking over the photos of the victim's discovered torture cellars in almost all of them there would be a large pile of dust and ashes somewhere in the room sometimes on a bed, sometimes on a slab or operating table, and sometimes on the floor. L consumed many gummy bears trying to decipher what the placement of the ashes might mean. If the criminals were dead as L suspected (98% certain) then the dust might be the bodies. Initial forensic analysis was inconclusive but the amount of dust left behind at each scene would be about the right volume to make up what was once a person. In any case at this point in time it was too early to draw any conclusions. It might be related to the Kira case or it might not but with no other findings he didn't want to share this with the other investigators unless he was absolutely sure.

"No," L answered the Chief's question with barely masked irritability. This other case was interesting but he really had to solve the Kira case first. That he hadn't solved it yet was wounding his reputation.

"Light was scheduled to give the acceptance speech" the detective complained as he stabbed idly at some pieces of honey-glazed ham piled atop his cantaloupe with a fine silver fork. It was Watari's attempt to get some vital nutrients into his ward's diet. L ate the mildly sweet meal very reluctantly.

"That's unlike him," the Chief awkwardly agreed. In all honesty he had forgotten about his son's school ceremony as he threw himself into his work; trying to catch Kira.

L hummed around his mouthful and didn't bothering to finish chewing before asking "Did you know he's taking all his courses online?"

The Chief looked uncomfortable. "I didn't... He moved out of the house."

L's fork clattered to the floor. "What?"

"You said he was no longer a suspect..." Mr. Yagami had seen no reason to tell the Taskforce about it. After all L had had the cameras and wiretaps removed. L had said that they had found nothing suspicious therefore his family was cleared…

"I said we could make no definite conclusions based on our surveillance." L sighed "When did he move out?"

"About two months ago." The Chief looked apologetic as he ran a hand over his graying hair. "There was no talking them of it." He sighed. "My wife had a point. It's perfectly natural for a young man to want to spread his wings and leave the nest…"

"Yes… perfectly natural." L repeated in that odd tone he sometimes used that almost seemed… sarcastic. But of course the Great Detective L would never be that rude. It must just be a side effect of whatever… condition afflicted the reclusive genius.

Two months. It was two months with no leads. And while Ryuuzaki had seemed to be gearing up for something big he had kept the Taskforce out of the loop about it. Whatever it was, it seemed to have fallen flat so they were back at square one. And Ryuuzaki just crouched in that candy striped chair every day going through old data, rewatching and rewatching the surveillance from the subway where the F.B.I. agent was killed and the footage from his house—or more specifically footage of his son. Mr. Yagami was certain… no he _wanted to believe_ his son wasn't Kira. The sooner L cleared Light the sooner they could find the real Kira. The Chief looked very uncomfortable as he suggested: "But… he's still looking for a roommate."

L spun around in his chair.


	9. Roommates Are Not For Killing

**A/N: **_I own NOTHING!_

00000

**Chapter 9 Roommates Are Not For Killing**

Light sighed wistfully as he dutifully went about his task of filling another page with names—he had yet to find a roommate and the night before he had dreamed of _Him_ again. No one, especially not that _scum_ he fed upon could ever hope to match his dreams. (His Raven. His Hideki Ryuuga…) Light stared desolately at the page as he selflessly martyred his time for his cause, the world's spring cleaning—taking out the trash. Light was finding it was awfully lonely—being God.

"It's a shame about Mitsuko. Nice girl. I thought for sure that would have worked out…" Light said softly as he penned the death of another murderer.

**"Yes. Tragic accident, that…"** Ryuk muttered distractedly; his attention focused solely on the screen filled with dinosaurs and mushrooms as he mashed at the controller. The damn buttons really were too small for the Shinigami's big claws.

Light glanced at Ryuk suspiciously. "I never told you how she died."

"**Er…. uh… whoops." **

"Ryuk…" Light began in that tone of voice that Ryuk now recognized as the warning that he should be flying away as fast as he could to keep all his feathers.

"**B-but if you get a roommate then we can't hang out and play Mario Kart anymore!"** the Shinigami whined.

"Do _NOT_ kill my roommates." Light again spoke in that soft-spoken, dangerous calm that promised endless pain and death in the immediate future.

"**Or what?"** Ryuk challenged.

"_What?_" Light snarled, incensed that Ryuk would dare challenge his authority.

"**It's not like you can kill me." **

"I'll think of something," Light began ominously. "I will torment you forever."

"**Ooh, sounds scary~,"** Ryuk taunted.

"I-I'll set you on fire!"

"**You do that anyway,"** Ryuk pointed out reasonably.

"I'll rip your wings off."

Ryuk shrugged. **"They grow back."**

"I will eat apples in front of you… and I will not share."

"**Aw, c'mon! That's just **_**evil!**_**"** Ryuk was horrorstruck.

"Don't think I won't do it! So don't kill my roommates!"

"**Fine!"** the Shinigami growled and flew off in a huff.

Light had just resumed his regularly scheduled killing spree when there was a knock on the door.

"Who could that be?"

He quickly disposed of the Death Note page he was using in a kitschy incense burner he had bought just for that purpose (an ash tray might have drawn questions should anyone he know stop by to visit since he didn't smoke) and turned off the game console Ryuk had been playing (damn Shinigami left it running again). The knock came again.

"Yeah, yeah, coming, just a sec!" It was probably the new landlord (the old one, also a Yakuza underboss had been _conveniently_ killed). Still Light quickly checked himself in the mirror to make sure he looked human and decent—if he knew he had company coming over he would have worn something nicer—he just had on his khaki pants and a lose white dress shirt he had left hanging open—but he was much too hot to care much about it. At least he had scrapped that half-formed notion to go natural he had had when he woke up sweltering that morning. Light naturally ran hotter than most people (_human_ people) but to make things worse Tokyo had been hit by a heat spell for the past week and of course the air was broken in his cheap apartment. After emerging from his morning shower (_cold s_hower) the clothes seemed like branding irons. He had seriously considered going without them—he had no plans to go out today—it was _even hotter_ outside. But ultimately Light got dressed—it was important to stay disciplined. Besides a certain Shinigami might see it as an invitation and Light had just gotten the scorch marks off the walls from the last time they had such a difference of opinion.

Light crept the remaining distance to the door to peer through the peep hole to see a distorted, fish-eye image of…

_It couldn't be… _

Light opened the door.

There he stood in his doorway; as if he had stepped right out of his dreams—the man with the raven hair. He was just as Light remembered him, wearing the same thing he wore during the testing: baggy jeans, (reluctantly) worn old tennis shoes, no socks… the only thing different was a black laptop bag was slung across his slumped shoulders, the black bag strap cutting a line across his wrinkled white sweater. He was slouching, his hands in his pockets, his tired eyes affecting a bored expression—that is until Light opened the door—then he gave a start like he had stepped on a livewire.

The raven openly stared at Light, gaping slack-jawed—no doubt he, like every other human on the planet, had got a whiff of the incubus's scent and now was rendered incapable of higher brain functions. (To Light's secret misery it made intelligent conversation even harder to come by.) Not that Light was doing much better at the moment. The raven was such a fixture in his nocturnal visitations Light felt as if he already knew him. It was taking all of his self-restraint from tackling the other man and having his way with him right there in the doorway...

They just stood there, staring at each other as the awkward silence dragged on.

Light recovered first.

"Uh... hello?" Light coughed out. _Yeah __**real **__smooth._

"Hello. Light Yagami, correct? I heard you were looking for a roommate?" the man began with fake enthusiasm, almost as if it was scripted. Light paid that no mind (he was used to that too; people always acted weird around him) as he was too busy, caught in the abysmal depths of the other man's eyes.

Light seemed to recover himself. "You bet, come on in," he said excitedly.

00000

This was a risky operation.

"_If anything happens to pop idol Hideki Ryuuga, Light Yagami is Kira. If anything happens to me Light Yagami is Kira. If I die won't you arrest him please?"_ L had asked of the suspect's father and his colleagues. L was under no illusions—the odds were definitely stacked against him. But he could not afford to lose.

When the suspect answered the door L found himself feeling nervous. Well it would be natural for most people to be nervous in the presence of someone they were fairly certain was actually the most notorious killer in recent history but L wasn't like most people. He was trained to ignore such emotional impulses such as fear… no. this wasn't fear. Not really. It was something else. Some other feeling that he was largely unfamiliar with. L's mouth went dry as he eyed Light Yagami's sweat-drenched bared chest.

After a moment where it seemed his brain had frozen, L kick-started his massive mental processes to determine what and _why_ he was feeling this… and was more disturbed when he was able to pinpoint what it could possibly be. It was the kind of nervous he used to feel when Backup stared at him. But _that_ shouldn't be an issue. He had trained to ignore such impulses! No, he shouldn't be affected by his suspect's handsome face, or his graceful movements, or his melodic voice, or his come hither glances, or his intoxicating scent… No he shouldn't be affected at all…

"It's a pleasure to meet you." The Kira suspect looked him right in the eye and shook his hand enthusiastically, smiling all the way as he held his hand… just a little too long. L swallowed hard and for the first time in his life the detective struggled to stay focused. L didn't understand what was happening. Perhaps this was one of Kira's powers? L knew that Kira could control people's actions, perhaps he also had some ability to distract and confuse? L recalled that Light seemed to have this effect even when he was watching him on the surveillance cameras but it became so much more _magnified_ in person. L was glad for his baggy pants as he watched how Light moved, gracefully navigating through the cramped apartment. L wanted to believe that this was some power of Kira's and not a lapse in his discipline but surely that wasn't a move Kira would ever consider… well, no, it was safer to assume that Kira was capable of anything…. But he should be safe. Kira shouldn't be able to kill him without his name…

Just then Ryuk drifted in through the wall in time to see Light showing some new guy around their apartment.

_Dammit, he's getting a roommate... and the kind he'd fuck too!_

Ryuk let out a low growl that got Light's attention. His claws drifted towards the Death Note that hung on his belt.

"Don't even think about it." Light hissed.

But Ryuk paid him no mind, staring at the man's name that he saw floating above his head: _L Lawliet._

_No way. _Ryuk chuckled. Now this, this was interesting! Frustrating but also interesting…

Dammit, now if he killed the interloper would it influence Light's lifespan?

Perhaps not, since Light was a demon but still it probably would be unwise besides (Ryuk gulped) Light was angry enough to threaten such a _horror_ for just offing some innocent girl that he didn't really care about—taking an action that would leave him cockblocked would undoubtedly be much worse and with the way he was looking at the so-called "Hideki Ryuuga." Ryuk decided it would be better to let Light have the room to himself for the time being… The Shinigami made an amusingly miffed sound as he flew off; finally realizing that his day would be long in coming… But on the plus side the Shinigami looked forward to watching the drama unfold and when Light realized his loverboy was L, Ryuk imagined that Light would coming running to him with open arms…

00000

L whirled around, staring with comically intense focus at his suspect; who he heard mutter _something_, seemingly to the empty air.

Light found himself growing hotter under the other man's probing stare. He cleared his throat and worked to ignore all of his basic instincts that were screaming that he drain him dry. This was his Raven! He was an innocent, not a criminal! Not a cheap fuck! If… no _WHEN_ he had his Raven he wouldn't want to make it to only be once!

"Did you say something?" L demanded more than asked. For a moment it seemed Light had been staring off into space… Well, naturally someone who had killed as many as Kira would be less than mentally sound… Maybe he had visual and auditory hallucinations? Or was there some supernatural _presence _there in the room with them that only Kira could see? L _really_ hoped it was just the former…

"Ah, nothing…" Light dismissed the issue and changed the subject quickly "So what's your name?" he asked in a tone that was so sugary it could have been one of L's deserts.

Light was probably not conscious of the way he was fluttering his long eyelashes. L couldn't help but notice that Kira had very beautiful eyes. The dossiers said they were brown but when the light caught them _just so_ they seemed molten and shifting—the brown seemed to melt away into gold and as L gazed into them he could have sworn he saw a spark of _red_. L was so entranced by the spell that Light was weaving that he almost answered Light's question with 'L Lawliet.' Luckily he caught himself at the last moment. Still, L was sweating when he answered and not because of the heat.

"I'm Hideki Ryuuga."

000000

It _was_ Ryuuga… _HERE_ and wanting to be his roommate!

_There is a God on my side, and not just a God of Death. _

Light had already determined he must be the pop star incognito without his make-up and the computer-generated effects. Light preferred this look on him-Ryuuga had a stunning wild grace and beauty about him. Light was a bit envious—it was a look he was sure he could never pull off. That his roommate was a teen idol might be a bit problematic but it was nothing the God of the New World couldn't handle.

Light swiftly ushered the Raven in and offered him a seat on the other bed (there wasn't enough room to do much else and standing nose to nose would be _far_ too tempting). Light sat on his bed, mindful of his company he fell back to projecting his (no doubt) tattered image of being a good student: back straight, legs crossed (to hide his growing problem) arms folded defensively across his chest as he watched the stranger crawl onto the adjacent bed, Light had kept it neat and made with fresh sheets everyday should this day ever come (that he found a roommate. He hadn't dared hope that his roommate would be…)

Ryuuga climbed up onto the other bed, sitting in an odd crouch staring at him with those cute glossy black eyes…Though he would never admit it but he was a bit starstruck—though he didn't join in her squealing Light was just as much of a fan of Ryuuga as his sister. (Sayu would be so jealous!)

L continued to play along like everything was normal, that they were just two new roommates getting to know each other but something about Light's smile was making him nervous and as L crouched oddly on the bed, sure that his mannerisms would unnerve the suspect, he was further thrown when Light only smiled warmly at him.

L's paranoia rose when he considered why Light might be unsurprised by his mannerisms. He remembered seeing a look of recognition on his suspect's face when he opened the door. Light only saw him at the exam hall and THAT would not have left a favorable impression…

L made a mental note to ask Watari to double-check and make sure that his "evil twin", Beyond Birthday, was where he was supposed to be—locked up in a maximum security prison in Los Angeles because if Kira was working with Beyond Birthday then his identity was compromised and he was utterly screwed… L calmed himself with the absolute certainty that _no one_, (especially not his DEFECTIVE Backup,) would be able to find Kira before he did…

"I'm a huge fan of your work." Light said conspiratorially, drawing in close.

L had to work to keep from trembling. Had Light somehow already figured out that he was L? L had intended to tell him that he was as a strategic move but if Kira had already somehow figured it out on his own that meant that Kira had the upper hand.

_Even if Kira doesn't know my name, if he already knows that I am L he might forgo using his usual killing method and have prearranged my gruesome murder by some more conventional means. That's what I would do if I were in his place. _

Though even if Light tried to kill him using conventional means he was fully prepared to deal with it. And in the unlikely event that he died they'd have the evidence necessary to detain Light and from there his successors might finish the case. L didn't exactly _want_ to die for this case but he was fully prepared to do so in order to stop the evil that was Kira.

L was about to kick Light in the jaw and call in the team he had on standby to extract him when he realized Light was motioning to a poster on the wall—a Hideki Ryuuga poster.

_What?_


	10. The World's Smartest Idiots

**A/N: **_I own NOTHING!_

000000

**Chapter 10 **The World's Smartest Idiots ****

L couldn't believe his ears. Light couldn't have mistaken him for THAT Hideki Ryuuga, could he? He obviously WASN'T that Hideki Ryuuga, yet Light seemed to think he was... Was he playing him? _'I know your using an alias but I'm pretending to be an idiot'? _

How could anyone ever mistake him for THAT Ryuuga! For that... that brainless Ken doll that was the butt of every Yuutoob™ comment!

"Wait, aren't you are Light Yagami? Son of Chief Souichiro Yagami and the other top scorer at Touhou, correct?" L felt the sudden need to reaffirm that that _was_ the genius he was battling. Perhaps he had been body-snatched?

"Yeah, that's me..." Light looked surprised and a perhaps a bit suspicious. His name was on the advertisement for the room but he never gave out that much personal information.

L felt the need to justify his asking. "I missed you at the entrance ceremony."

Light swore he detected a note of accusation in Ryuuga's tone—could it be that Ryuuga was "not looking" for him too? Light rationalized that that was probably all it was about—Ryuuga the celebrity must have had him checked to make sure he didn't belong to an international kidnapping ring or something. He needn't have worried. The way Light saw it there was no place safer in the world then at Kira's side. Light laughed good-naturedly. "Oh yeah, I was sick."

"Oh? That's too bad," the other man murmured, sounding anything but sorry.

"Yeah, don't I know it! I had the flu so bad I couldn't take two steps without tossing but I think I've recovered now. I'm really sorry I missed it. I had a kickass speech planned too," Light chatted rapidly, stealing furtive glances with the other man almost as if he was nervous about something.

_You sure do talk a lot. What are you so nervous about? _L adjusted the percentage accordingly. _Is it really you? _It made sense logically but that Kira might ever be _nervous_ was almost too humanizing for comfort. L could hardly get a word in edgewise as Light continued to chatter at him in an overly-friendly way. If L didn't know better he would have thought the teen had been living in extreme isolation for a long time... L didn't even get a chance to feed him his cover story about being a foreign exchange student from the U.K. and Light, for some unfathomable reason still seemed to be under the mistaken impression he was Hideki Ryuuga the pop star.

"But enough about me;" Light said abruptly, "Is the room to your liking? It's not much but I've tried to keep it clean..."

L surveyed the room as Light continued to talk about rent and utilities (and Ryuuga surprised him by producing the money upfront). It looked like a typical college dorm room... save that it was immaculately tidy—everything was very neat and orderly, well except for one thing that caught the detective's attention and caused the corner of his mouth to quirk upward. From the way the controller was haphazardly put away L deduced that the top student in Japan had been playing video games right before L knocked on the door. L made another deduction as he glanced at the trashcan that neatly held a collection of cheap plastic takeout food trays.

"Does your family know you've become a Hikikomori?" L blurted out.

_What?_ Light glared at the other man. "I am NOT a hikikomori!" _How had Ryuuga come to that conclusion?_ He was very careful to _not_ look like a hikikomori. He just couldn't be around people too often or they would want to have sex with him. It was inevitable. He saw people as much as he dared and he even dated the idiot of the week to assure his father he was straight...

L watched fascinated at the subtle display of emotion that flashed across Light's face. He himself gave a rare smile at the thought that he could get such a rise out of him "No need to be so serious."

L watched again at the subtle inclinations of irritation and amusement and then Light was laughing good-naturedly at L's "joke" and L found himself wondering—perhaps Light wasn't Kira and was just a bored, lonely college student... Of course L didn't really believe that for a moment but for some strange reason, (probably related to the problem he was developing in his pants) he found that he really wanted to believe it...

L continued to watch and listen to his most fascinating suspect when, as planned L's cellphone rang as Watari called him.

"That was my grandfather," L told Light. "He's downstairs. He said he brought me a few things. My bags and a mini-fridge. I hope that's okay."

Light remembered that the elevator was out of service.

"That's a lot of stairs..." Light couldn't imagine an elderly gentleman trying to haul a _mini-fridge_ up some sixty flights of stairs. Well he _could_ and it wasn't pretty. It would result in a heart attack that would totally not be his fault this time...

"I know..." Ryuuga sighed dejectedly "But he gets upset when I try to help him. He's a veteran. He fought in WWII. It hurts his pride that his grandson is now stronger than he is."

"I'll go help him. You go ahead and get settled here."

"Thank you so much." L worked to put some feeling into those words.

Light smiled at him and exited the room.

That worked out better than L had hoped. Things had been so much harder than it should have been for the detective. The apartment building was under management by a Yakuza controlled company, The Bloodfangs, a rival gang to the Black Dragons, the one that contacted "Deneuve." Someone in the Black Dragons had carelessly bragged that now that they had hired Deneuve they were sure to find Tatsuya Kosanage (naturally violating their confidentiality agreement). After that the Bloodfangs had done everything in their power to obstruct his investigation out of sheer spite.

Wedy was the best infiltrator that L knew but not even she could get past all the lookout thugs that were stationed strategically around the building. L was slightly amused by the irony that _Kira_ was living next door to so many criminals. (It would be more amusing if there weren't so many deaths.) L sent Aiber to smooth things over but with the constant changes in leadership (turn-over rates in mob management were typically high but even more so when Kira kept killing them) it was difficult for even L to discover _who _to bribe. Aiber had finally managed to work out a deal that very morning. Now he just had to get Light to leave his room for an extended period of time later he could get Wedy to install the cameras until then he had just the ones in his laptop that would record a panoramic view of the room (L placed it so it sat innocuously on Light's desk.) Light helping Watari with the bags shouldn't take too long, so there wouldn't be enough time to install the cameras now but there was plenty of time for L to do a preliminary search of the room which he did as soon as Light was out of earshot.

L had noticed the pleasant smell of incense when he first entered the room. L peaked up at the kitschy incense burner. The ashes were still smoldering—Light must have only set them alight a few minutes ago... in the middle of the day? On a day this hot? It occurred to L that Light was disposing of evidence. The detective sifted through the ashes but failed to find anything of interest—only a burning shred of notebook paper. Nonetheless L pulled it out and studied it but could only conclude that either Light was burning blank pages of notebook paper or the relevant part had already burned away.

L scanned the room until his eyes lit on the desk drawer—Light left the key in the lock? That seemed very out of character for someone like Light. It was just _too _obvious … unless it was a double bluff…? Perhaps it was booby trapped? But would Kira really go so far as to keep something so dangerous in his room? Most likely—_his_ Kira didn't know any limits. Ready to spring away at the slightest inclination L carefully worked the drawer open with his toes and peered inside. All that was inside was a simple brown book—a diary. L's suspicions deepened. That seemed _unlike_ the Light Yagami he knew to be that sentimental. L shamelessly thumbed through it but only found bland descriptions of what Light did every day and wondered: what's the point of keeping a diary if you don't use it to express your thoughts and feelings? Perhaps these entries might be some form of code?

"_L, do you know...?" But then maybe that's what Kira wants me to think. It's more likely the diary is just a decoy meaning... _

L focused on the drawer and deduced it was much too shallow. He pulled the drawer out and tipped it on its side. The fake bottom tilted up just a little bit. He could _just_ see inside. A rare look of surprise and a light dusting of pink graced the detective's face as he realized he had just discovered where Kira kept his toys—and it appeared to be a vast assortment too: lotion, lube, leather collars and whips, gates of hell, fuzzy handcuffs, chains, vibrators, and several other devices that he didn't even recognize...

_Kira is a pervert. _L thought as he began to imagine in vivid detail how such devices might be put to use.

_Does that make me a pervert too? No, of course not. I'm only making observations for the sake of the case. Yeah... keep telling yourself that. But what if the source of Kira's power IS a magic dildo or something? Light took this much effort to hide these... I can't afford not to look. There are too many lives riding on this... heh. Riding on this indeed. Focus!_

Just then L heard the door opening behind him and the sound of his minifridge being dropped on the ground.

_Back already? _L was sure he had more time! It should have taken Light at least thirty-three minutes to lug that fridge up the stairs!

"What the FUCK are you doing?" Light shrieked. L turned around to see Light standing in the doorway, a horrorstruck expression on his face as 'Hideki Ryuuga' shook_ that_ drawer around. L was so surprised by Light's reappearance that he dropped the drawer. Right before it hit the ground Light tackled "Ryuuga" and was pushing his face into the ground. L tried to kick him off but he was so strong! A split second later the drawer hit the floor and instantly exploded in a massive fireball and the flames went up all around them. Just before the fire hit them some strange tent-like thing spread out around them and seemed to shield them from the blast but L couldn't see what it was, seeing as Light had currently forced his face down into the floor, and then it was over and Light seemed to produce a fire extinguisher from nowhere.

L looked bewilderedly around the room. Remarkably there were only a few scorch marks. (Light had fireproofed the room pretty well since his last argument with Ryuk.) L breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that, miraculously, his laptop was outside the blast range. He could review the footage later. He really wanted to know what that "tent-thing" was that shielded them. As Light continued to scream at him, and got in his face L mused how it didn't make any sense—by all rights they should be dead and though Light took the brunt of it _he didn't have a mark on him_. The only thing that was burned was his clothes. L realized he should probably be listening to what his enraged suspect was screaming but he was having an even harder time focusing now that Light had crawled ontop of him ... Naked.

_Don't look, don't look... _

L's eye-line naturally gravitated towards _that_ region as Light hung above him and then he could only stare in awe as it seemed his brain had short-circuited again as he realized that right now at this particular moment he would have absolutely no problem with _Kira_ ravishing him.

Seemingly oblivious to L's current problem Light continued to scream at him. "You could have died! _You IDIOT!_"

L's eyes narrowed. He was NOT an idiot and did not take well to being called such. "How the hell was I supposed to know about your unhealthy little hobbies?" L spat venomously.

Light instantly shut up and looked suspiciously down on the other man.

_Crap! He's probably wondering how much I know! _When he saw he had overdone it L quickly fell back into playing the role of 'Hideki Ryuuga, college student.' "I was just looking around! You said I could!"He whined. L watched in fascination as the other's features softened considerably as he played naïve and innocent. That had worked far better than expected. _Well, he has a younger sibling... _L felt quite a rush that he could play the world's most notorious killer like a piano. Caught up in the thrill of it, L ventured to push again. "What kind of _PSYCHO_ keeps a _bomb_ in their desk? _Are you freakin' insane?_" L knew it was dangerous baiting the suspect, especially after he was caught out like this, but he needed to "play innocent" in order to keep his cover. L fully intended to drop the bombshell of his true identity on Light but on his terms, when the time was right. Now, in this position of weakness, was not that time. Not when Light looked like he might murder him with his bare hands for almost dying… _Wait, what?_ L ran that thought again and concluded that that was not a logical reaction.

_A purely emotional response... Wait, does this mean that Light, KIRA, is concerned about my well-being? _

L wasn't very good at expressing emotions but he was an expert at reading them. Light wouldn't get this angry for just blowing up his room or looking through his stuff. It could only mean he cared... (He cared _deeply?_) Well Light only knew him as Hideki Ryuuga the student. Perhaps for some unfathomable reason he found "Ryuuga" to be instantly likeable. L had no doubt that would change once he told him his true identity.

When Ryuuga spoke Light winced as if struck. "I'm not _insane_!" Light seethed, glowering at the other man. L held his stare. After a tense moment that seemed to stretch on forever Light looked away.

Light was still very angry with Ryuuga for pulling this but mostly he was angry with himself. He _knew_ he should have defused that trap but he really didn't want anyone (namely his father) finding any of that stuff. _Ryuuga almost… He… He'll never be safe around me... _

"Look, I'm sorry about all this. If you want the deposit back..."

_Crap!_ L couldn't move out! He needed to stay here if he wanted to continue his investigation.

"No, that's... that's okay." L assured him.

Light looked surprised. "You still want to stay here... after the room exploded? Are _you_ insane?"

L smiled cutely. "Probably. Look your chemistry experiment almost killed me but you also saved my life so, I mean, I guess we're even..."

Honestly, it was irksome that Light, _Kira,_ had just saved his life. True Light was the one who put him in danger in the first place but for some reason as Light hung above him L was feeling very conflicted and almost... _grateful._ "I-I mean, no one has ever done so much for me before," That was a lie but it was very effective if the look Light was giving him were any indication. L didn't know what compelled him to reach up and trail his fingers down Light's bare chest.

Light seemed to just notice their position and then Light wanted to dominate over the other male. Fuck his brains out, drain him dry!

It took all of his self-control not to.

"Don't!" Light snarled through gritted teeth and swiftly got off of Ryuuga.

L was kicking himself; feeling utterly dejected at Light's rejection. _Too much too fast. No, wait, since when did "seduce Light" become part of the plan? I shouldn't be thinking of the SUSPECT that way! _

L began to reluctantly pick up his things. "I'm sorry. It's just… I feel as if I already know you. You know, I feel as if you're the first friend I've ever had." Alright, maybe he laid it on a bit thick there because Light was looking at him with absolute pity... L hated it.

Light sighed and walked across the room, facing away from the other man. But L could tell from his posture he was in deep thought. L figured that Light must be either very trusting that he wouldn't try anything or very confident that he could maintain control of the situation as he turned his back on "Ryuuga" in his current state of undress. L had noticed before during his surveillance and he noticed again that Light had a very fine ass. L suppressed a groan. Light showed absolutely no shame about his nakedness. L could tell just by the way he moved that Light was very comfortable about his body and had no problem with L's staring. But then why did Light freak out when he touched him? L bit his thumb until it bled.

"You can stay," Light said abruptly.

L gaped at the other man. He could swear that Light was giving him a sultry, "come-hither" look. It had to be his (currently overactive) imagination.

"You know; if you want..." The God of the New World added gruffly. He turned around to glare at the beautiful nuisance that would be taking up residence with him and added in a very severe tone. "Just... don't touch my stuff..." But even as he said it the other was already picking up a slightly charred dildo with the tips of his thumb and index finger. Light gave out a great sigh of resignation.

L stared at the dildo and began to giggle at the sheer absurdity of it all. Not just a drawer full of sex toys but an _exploding_ drawer full of sex toys. Was Light that desperate to stay in the closet? He could use this.

"Light-kun... is a pervert." L muttered out loud. The detective realized he probably should have been processing the probability that Light was Kira. After all Light had just displayed superhuman abilities, considering that he didn't get burned and they weren't dead, but he found he still couldn't move past how _glorious_ Light looked with his clothes off.

Light arched an eyebrow as he saw where Ryuuga was looking. "Who's the pervert?"

L held up the dildo. "The physical evidence points to you, Light-kun."

Light leered. "You're the one touching it."

_How childish_._.. And Kira-like. _ "I'm not the one parading around naked."

"And whose fault is that?" Light said icily as he snatched up another pair of jeans and swiftly got dressed.

L flopped back down on the charred floor, and stared at the ceiling, for some reason feeling very disappointed.


	11. Better Than Cake

**A/N: ****Reader discretion advised. I OWN NOTHING!**

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**Chapter 11 Better Than Cake**

"My cake…" L pouted as he mournfully eyed the scattered, burned and blackened remnants of the smashed minifridge.

"You're lucky that's all you lost! You almost died! Idiot!"

L sniffled as he stared at the blackened crumbs and smeared frosting. _What the hell is wrong with me? _

Sure L's cake was serious business but he could always just get more! It was like he had left his years of discipline, and iron clad control of his emotions on the other side of the door to Light's apartment—which was utterly ridiculous! Light was hardly the first person that L found attractive—he wasn't even the first person that L found attractive that he would one day arrest and bring to justice…

_I am L! The greatest detective in the world! I am NOT weak! I am most certainly NOT an emotional wreck! _

L found that for some reason berating himself only made him feel worse. But he normally had such mastery of his emotions that most people assumed he didn't have them. Back at Wammy's House, A had once accused him of secretly being a robot and that no mere human could ever hope to live up to him. (L had found it amusing at the time though it wasn't so funny in retrospect.) How he got that way didn't really matter—it was just the way he was: he was L, that was all there was to it. He couldn't let something as foolish as _emotions_ stand in the way of _justice_. He thought for sure that Kira felt the same way…

That was when L first had the terrifying thought: _What if I'm already under Kira's control? Kira can control people's actions in the moments leading up to death. But… that's impossible! He doesn't know my name! Kira needs a name and a face in order to kill... or so the evidence had led me to believe. Perhaps I underestimated the extent of his powers—Kira has been known to conceal the full extent of his abilities. What if this was a trap for me from the very beginning? _It was the only possible explanation for why he felt this way, for why he _felt… Damn you Kira! Damn you to hell! _

"Hey… Ryuuga…"

L was vaguely aware that Light was speaking to him, his voice laced with concern.

_It must be… Kira is controlling me and then I'm going to die soon. No! Please no! Not like this! _

L had been resigned that this case may very well be his last but to die so _stupidly!_ It was utterly unacceptable! L slumped, staring at the floor, unseeing. He idly watched in a detached manner as droplets of rain fell to the floor. He rather liked rain. _No, it can't be raining, we're indoors. _

L startled when suddenly there were arms around him, as Light held him in a protective embrace. The detective froze as Light held him close, burying his face in "Ryuuga's" raven hair.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I snapped at you. I'll get you another cake, alright? Just stop…" L flinched as Light wiped the wetness from his face. "Please…"

_Light is Kira. _The murderer was still looking at him with such caring that L almost didn't want to believe…

But L's profile couldn't be wrong either. Maybe something was wrong with Kira too? In that case maybe he wasn't being controlled by Kira; at least not in the normal way and maybe he wasn't dying. L desperately clung to that hope as Light clung to him, his hand soothingly gliding up and down the detective's back.

"I'm so sorry…" Light repeated.

L glanced at the killer incredulously. "You can stop apologizing, Light-kun. It's just a cake. It's not like anyone died."

Light flinched "I'm sor—" he began to say again but Ryuuga glared at him. Light coughed and looked away. But L soon caught him stealing yet another demure glance. _What is going on here? It's like Light Yagami worships the very ground I walk on! Unless... of course. _"I'm not _that_ Hideki Ryuuga!" L spat indignantly.

"Oh-of course not!"

To L's hidden amusement Light looked surprised by that announcement.

"I—" L was about to announce his true identity but as Light continued to devour him with his eyes the words caught in his throat... and all things considered perhaps he should wait on that little announcement until after he learned _how_ Kira killed. "I… Call me Ryuuzaki."

The detective was unsettled to realize that the way Light was looking at him hadn't really changed despite the fact that he had announced he was NOT the famous pop star.

_Why? Has he somehow guessed…? _

"Ryuuzaki," Light repeated.

_Is Kira testing the name?_ L thought as he heard how every syllable rolled melodiously off the murderer's tongue, all the while never breaking his unblinking gaze.

_It's almost like he's infatuated with me… _L thought as he relaxed into the soothing feeling of Light rubbing his back. It felt good, even through his sweater. _Wait, what?_

The detective felt a shiver go up his spine and admittedly it wasn't all from fear. L blushed as he realized he was leaning into his touch.

L couldn't know that he was being too hard on himself, that he was showing remarkable restraint considering who and _what_ was cuddling up next to him, or that an incubus' mojo was so powerful that when the demon got excited all humans within a five block radius became inexplicably weak in the knees—it would be several months later before L noticed the correlation between Kira's appearance and a rise in unplanned pregnancies in the Kanto region.

_This… this is Kira's doing! He IS controlling me somehow! Why? Has he somehow guessed that I am L?_ _But what does he hope to gain from all this? Does he really expect me to back down if he humiliates me? No… there's no way he could have guessed. How could he?_ _So why would he do this unless… unless… _

L realized that Light was holding him much longer than "friends" would deem appropriate. The edges of L's lips slowly quirked upward as he thought _Is it possible Kira has fallen in love with my "Hideki Ryuuga the college student" identity and is scared of hurting him? I can use this—maybe I can even get him to admit to me that he is Kira. _

When L returned his gaze with an intense stare of his own Light looked away suddenly nervous and cleared his throat. "Look, I feel really bad about all this. Whatever you need…"

Somehow L didn't think "Confess to me that you are Kira" and "please tell me how you kill" would work.

_To exploit this I need to get closer to him. I need…. I need… _

L again shyly put a hand on Light's bare chest. "Light-kun."

Light suppressed a groan. Ryuuzaki was _so close_ Light's demonic instincts were screaming at him to make him his. "What do you want, Ryuuzaki?" Light whispered carelessly in a voice that could melt even the most prudish of humans. "Anything at all…"

"You know there is something else you can give me that I would very much enjoy…" L took a calculated risk and whispered in his suspect's ear. It seemed like a brilliant idea to L at the moment–it wouldn't occur to him until later that whatever force was making him feel so _moody_ still had a hold of him and was influencing his decision-making.

Light could hardly believe the things Ryuuga, Ryuuzaki, _his Raven_, was saying. To Light this was quite literally a dream come true. Ryuuzaki's dirty-talking and then how he shyly licked at the shell of his ear proved too much for the young incubus who promptly tackled the other man, kissing him eagerly. L fought back valiantly but for some reason Light's tongue seemed much _longer_ than it should be. Light immediately began exploring under Ryuuzaki's sweater feeling the other's rock hard abs. He smiled into Ryuuzaki's mouth—just like him, his chosen lover was lithe and strong. Meanwhile, that white obstruction of a sweater was somehow mysteriously ripped off the other man—it landed across the room in pieces. L's own hands explored moving up and down the other's back, searching for something to hold onto. He drifted lower and slipped into Light's pants to play with his ass cheeks. This earned a growl from the younger man and in one swift motion captured both of L's wrists in one hand. L yelped as Light picked him up, bridal style, and then slammed him down onto his bed. L saw stars. Light held Ryuuzaki down as he straddled him, keeping his hands trapped above his head with his left hand while the other roamed freely—petting and stroking and squeezing—his ministrations earning him a needy moan from the other man.

Light grinned. "You're so cute, Ryuuzaki!"

The detective blushed with embarrassment. This wasn't exactly the way he imagined it—for one thing the Detective had assumed he would be on top…

L had pushed against the younger man, trying to reverse their positions but Light hadn't budged, nor did he even seem to _notice_ as he continued attacking L's neck with great fervor. (The detective gasped—Light's teeth felt so _sharp_ as they brushed against his skin!) L silently increased the Kira percentage upon discovering that the teen had truly _inhuman_ strength. L's eyes widened ever so slightly as he realized that in his current situation—this did not bode well. (He moaned as Light rubbed against his taught stomach.) Things were rapidly spiraling out of control—assuming that he had any control to begin with given how easily he gave in to this! Asking his main suspect to sleep with him? Where had his common sense gone? But it was all moving so fast and L could barely think in the haze of hormones caused by just being near Light. The wheels turned in L's genius mind as Light pleasantly attacked his body. Even if he didn't yet have the proof that Light was Kira he could at least prove that he wasn't _normal_ like he pretended to be and was probably in fact some kind of supervillain. The detective abruptly lost his train of thought as Light tugged down his jeans and lowered his head to his weeping cock. L gave a startled cry as Light's tongue flicked out teasing the tip. Light moved his tongue up and down along the blue vein before he took it all into his mouth. L became vaguely aware that his hands were now free but at the moment all he thought to do with them was to grab hold of Light's silky brown hair.

As he bobbed his head up and down Ryuuzaki's length Light secretly hoped that his enthusiasm would make up for experience—he certainly never bothered doing this for any of the criminals he used. But this wasn't the trash he usually fed on. This was his Raven, Hideki Ryuuga, Ryuuzaki… He was smart, and clever, and oh so beautiful. Light didn't believe in bullshit like having a soul mate but if he had one, it would definitely be Ryuuzaki. He could almost be his equal… In any case he was the only one _worthy_ to stand by Kira's side. He wanted things to be perfect for his Raven—he had picked up on Ryuuzaki's nervousness and concluded it must have been his first time, or at least his first time in _this _position. As much as he might deny it Light was (underneath several layers of psychosis) a hopeless romantic at heart—he wanted to make it special for him. Light smirked smugly as Ryuuzaki kicked and moaned as he licked and sucked, the other man's long pale legs splayed out before him in open invitation.

L groaned in protest when Light suddenly stopped, giving the tip of his cock a farewell kiss as he turned his attention elsewhere.

Dammit, he was so close! "Finish what you start!" the debauched detective snarled without thinking.

So without further ado, Light threw Ryuuzaki's legs up over his shoulders for easier access and positioned a pillow beneath him for comfort.

Ryuuzaki was visibly alarmed by the action. "W-wait!"

Light looked at him entreatingly but his tone was firm. "I'm going to finish inside you."

When his uke made an instinctive move to get away Light tried to reassure him by kissing him again but he had to cut it off as he was struck in the head as Ryuuzaki kicked wildly. In retaliation Light oh-so-slightly, very subtly let out his claws a bit. He didn't want to let them all the way out—it was mostly through his claws that he "fed" (and through his dick—the draining through the latter was far harder to control though he could limit it.) His claws were envenomated with a more potent form of the biochemical cocktail his body always exuded—a powerful aphrodisiac that had the bonus of making his partner more sedate and compliant. Naturally, Light saw nothing wrong with this since he was the one doing it. He lightly nicked his squirming partner's back and then forcefully retracted his "hungry" claws.

Light grinned wickedly—now Ryuuzaki could just lean back and enjoy himself.

"Relax," Light commanded in his most soothing tone. L was hypnotized by that melodic voice as he stared up into those beautiful, mesmerizing red eyes. _Wait doesn't Light have brown eyes? _

Actually Light was looking kind of scary… But L didn't get beyond that thought as the effect of Light drugging him was nigh instantaneous. Ryuuzaki keened with need as Light parted his ass cheeks, applying a generous helping of lube as he gently rubbed against that tight ring of muscles. Oh he could have just shoved in with his self-lubricating demon dick. In fact the temptation was strong but he didn't want to disturb Ryuuzaki any more than he already was. After all, the very reason he was showing restraint was because he hoped to do it again after this. He would at least be a gentleman the first time…

L squeaked in alarm.

"You alright?"

"It's cold!" L hissed as the lube flooded his insides.

Light chuckled "Don't worry—I'll warm you up."

Another whine escaped L's throat as he felt Light's fingers scissoring inside of him. It felt weird and very uncomfortable. The detective gasped as Light twisted his fingers.

Light smiled slyly. "There it is."

Now that… that was very nice—L wanted more.

"Light… please!" He whined.

Light teased him a little while longer; wanting to make sure he was stretched enough before he removed his fingers. L mewled at the loss of them, feeling strangely empty.

Light unzipped his pants, finally freeing him from that restraint. And when L again got an eyeful of Light, gaping in awe in fear as he wondered how the hell _that_ was going to fit inside him. Nonetheless the detective shivered in excitement as Light brushed it against him; positioning himself at his entrance.

"I-I don't think…I" Ryuuzaki stammered.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. Trust me," Light insisted and then, with much more care than he would usually show to his partner, he was shoving in.

L shouted in pain and shot up into a sitting position clinging to Light as the sweat dripped from his brow.

"Shhh. It'll get better soon, I promise." Light assured him.

Without even thinking about it L bit into Light's shoulder to keep from screaming again. He bit so hard that blood trickled down. Light ignored it. He had become rather numbed to pain after the "flying lesson" incident with Ryuk where he inadvertently tested his regenerative capabilities as well. (He had no problems with the "flying" part— especially when he redefined the term to mean "falling gracefully" –it was the landing that was _hard_—by the end of the night Light had added "concrete sidewalks" to his ever growing list of things that were evil and deserved to die.)

L was too focused on his own pain to realize how he was hurting the other… or how the wound closed on its own.

L whimpered, as they fit awkwardly together, afraid he was going to be ripped apart.

"I'm all in." Light announced as he laid kisses along the other's collarbone. "Are you alright?"

L nodded. It _hurt_, but it wasn't nearly as bad as he feared. He panted, it was painful but it also felt good to feel so full. L was sure Light had stretched him to his limits, like a harp string, and that this was either going to break him or they would make the most beautiful music together. L rolled his hips trying to adjust to the feeling and his mouth gaped open at the sensations: pain and something else that was more interesting as he readjusted and it felt like Light's cock was tickling that place deep inside.

"Can I… _please?_" Light groaned.

After a moment of hesitation L answered. "…_Yes._"

Light began to move very slowly, taking great care with Ryuuzaki. Not only did he fear draining him but since becoming a demon he was so much stronger than normal humans he could easily hurt him if he wasn't careful. So he let Ryuuzaki set the pace as he took cues from his very vocal lover.

"Light! Yes, just like that! Right there! Right… _Of fuck!_ Light! _Light!_" L howled out a pleasured cry as he got a small taste of his lover's power and strength—he arched up against Light, trying to get more.

Light worked hard to curb his demonic instincts but, it was getting harder with Ryuuzaki's uninhibited cries. He would have to finish quickly if he wanted Ryuuzaki alive to play with later.

Light stroked him in time, as he worked them both quickly to a shuddering, powerful climax. It took _everything, _all of Light's energy, control, and concentration to keep from draining his lover. L's eyes were unfocused and he saw a flash of white stars as he rode the waves of intense pleasure that ripped through his body and so missed the moment when Light reverted to his true form. They collapsed together in a tangle of limbs. L was vaguely aware that there were too many limbs before he too was out like a Light.


	12. Inner Demons

**A/N: **_The disclaimer: I own NOTHING! _

_The story: _

00000

**Chapter 12 Inner Demons**

The first thing L felt when he slowly returned to consciousness was _exhaustion._ Their _previous activities_ had left him feeling drained and even sleeping for so long* had failed to cure it. (*Several hours was a long time for the insomniac detective.) The other thing L observed was that Light's arm seemed to increase exponentially in mass as he left it draped across his hips. The detective shifted uncomfortably but he couldn't really move—every part of him ached but it was a pleasant ache—he felt content like he had just indulged in a decadent layer cake and elated as if he had just solved a difficult case. L found that puzzling. All they did was engage in a biological function and it was hardly the first time the detective had experimented with it…. As L woke up some more he immediately began to have regrets. He slept with Kira! _Why_ did he sleep with his suspect? What could have _possessed _him…?

As L awoke to this epiphany he tried in earnest to get away but still found he couldn't move. However though his mind was in turmoil his body was quite content to stay put at the moment. In defiance of logic and common sense he felt perfectly safe where he was with his… _lover(?)_ spooning against his back as he lay beneath the warm and cozy blankets…

Wait… L didn't remember ever getting under the covers and didn't Light's bed have a _blue_ comforter…? This one was a brilliant shade of red and felt soft and smooth against his bare skin. L noticed that the fabric was regularly broken up by some oddly-organic structures that almost resembled elongated finger that terminated in claws.

L's heart began to hammer in his chest as he realized it wasn't a blanket—it was patagia, like the wing of a bat. L followed the "fingers" to where they connected to an "arm" draped over him and slowly turned around, following the wings to where they seemed to sprout out from behind his sleeping beau… who seemed to have grown a pair of horns and dyed his hair candy red when he wasn't looking. L gave a startled cry and instinctively tried to shoot away but he was trapped in the entanglement of limbs and wings and… and L became aware that there were too many limbs entangled with his own—something long and serpentine was curled possessively around his right leg. The detective shuddered in fear as he felt the thing slithering against him.

L's squirming caused Light to stir. L heard him murmuring something about a "sweet raven" as he hugged him closer, pressing his back flush against his chest. To L's immediate embarrassment a terrified whimper escaped his throat. Light's eyes shot open at Ryuuzaki's sound of distress.

"Ryuuzaki? What's wrong?"

L stared—when he spoke there was a hint of fangs and… and _Light's eyes!_ They were blood red, serpentine, and were gleaming with their own light! Light looked like the face of Death—_his death_.

Light reached out to try and comfort his lover and saw the claws the tipped the ends of his fingers.

_Oh shi—!_

Light remembered now, before he collapsed it had taken e_verything_ to keep from draining Ryuuzaki—he hadn't even had the energy to keep up appearances at being human. Light's breathing became erratic with panic. (L noticed the change in the midst of his own panic. What does a _monster_ fear? ) Light was terrified of losing Ryuuzaki over this—or worse, having to kill him…

"Ryuuzaki…"

_It'll be alright, I won't have to kill him. He's mine! He will be loyal to me. My experiments prove it! Even when I revealed this form to the criminals that I slept with they were still loyal and eager to serve me. _

As a show of good faith Light gave Ryuuzaki his space, releasing him from his suffocating embrace, and uncoiled his tail from where it had curled around Ryuuzaki's leg as he slept.

_Sometimes to capture something you must first set it free._

Light sat back in a relaxed pose, folding his wings so that they rested over his shoulders and down his back like a great red cape.

He simply watched as Ryuuzaki comically scuttled to the other end of the bed, never once taking his eyes off him—or even _blinking_.

Light fidgeted, the way Ryuuzaki was staring was kind of creeping him out.

"Ryuuzaki. It's me… it's still me!"

Ryuuzaki still looked terrified. Well, he still looked like a demon, but Light was certain that making Ryuuzaki watch the transformation process would freak him out even more—sometimes the change was seamless but more often it was _painful _and gross—sometimes when he changed to human form his wings, horns, and tail would shrivel up strangely or when going the other way his skeletal structure would grow faster than the rest of him and exposed bone would burst from his changing body before the other tissues regenerated. It was not a pretty sight.

Light worked to comfort Ryuuzaki (_his_ Ryuuzaki) by placing a hand on his shoulder but he _flinched_. Light tried to keep from frowning—that made him feel unwanted. No one had rejected him in well… _ever_. It _hurt._

_Of course Ryuuzaki is stronger-willed than __**those**__ weak-minded fools. I have to work to keep his trust… no—it's better this way. If it's too easy it almost feels like cheating… _

"Please… I'm sorry. I know I look… scary like this." Light pleaded.

L snapped out of his existential crisis upon discovering that _monsters_ may actually exist to answer the perceived stab at his already wounded pride.

"I'm not _scared_ of you," L hissed.

Light wondered who he was trying to convince.

"Really…?" Light asked hopefully and then looked away with downcast eyes. "Most people are." Light said it in a quiet, pitiful voice that was carefully calculated to simultaneously compliment Ryuuzaki for his great courage and inspire his sympathy. Hopefully that would keep Ryuuzaki from running for the door or questioning his decision to stay with Light as he no doubt would…

No, L wouldn't consider himself _scared_ of Light. Sure he was a bit shell-shocked by all this but he thought he was taking it rather well—after all he had already been fairly certain that he had been screwed by a monster. This just made it more obvious. Perhaps he was closer to discovering the source of Kira's powers… But even _more_ interesting to the detective was that Light's pleading that Ryuuzaki not leave him… it seemed _genuine_.

_Kira is __**vulnerable**__… _

L nodded and repeated Light's words in what (he hoped) was a soothing tone "You are still you. You are Light-kun. Light-kun is very dear to me..."

Light looked pleased and relieved at Ryuuzaki's answer and hugged him amorously. It was too much too soon, L shied away without meaning to. Light looked absolutely stricken and began to apologize profusely again.

"I'm sorry I—_Please_, I'm not a monster!"

L never ceased in his staring. _That face... Like the face of death itself…_

"Are you a Shinigami?" L blurted out.

"What?"

L was kicking himself. This is why he didn't do his own legwork most of the time! He was well aware how social complexities worked in theory but overall had trouble grasping the whole concept of _tact_. He knew after the fact that this was entirely wrong moment to ask and he quickly attempted damage control, (and hoped he wasn't digging himself in deeper.)

"You know; the Kira case… it's all anyone ever talks about on campus."

_That excuse should also work to excuse any other suspicious queries in the future. "Ryuuzaki" is merely curious about the Kira case—just like the rest of the global population. _

"Really?" Light feigned a passive interest but L could see how Light was glowing with pride at that statement (L found that to be irksome. The people were living in fear. Yes, surely _**that**_ was something to be proud of.) But even more telling was Light's new tail. L had noticed how the red, serpentine thing had drooped listlessly when his lover... er _suspect_ was upset but now it had begun wagging happily.

"_Who's a good Kira, yes you are!"_ L suppressed a rare smile and made a mental note that Light was much easier to read in this form.

"I remember reading it in the paper. Kira mentioned something about Shinigami… And… there's a rumor that Kira must be a Shinigami."

Light gaped at his Raven and then looked visibly irritated. Such a statement was non-falsifiable. To answer that he wasn't a Shinigami would mean he was subtly admitting that he was Kira. To deny he was Kira made him look like a Shinigami—and Kira.

_Who ARE you?_ Light stared at Ryuuzaki as if seeing him for the first time. _He was getting into my stuff too. Could he be a spy sent by L? _

_No… _

_Ryuuzaki matched my score! He's not one of those idiots! Raye Penber, Naomi Misora caught out so easily! He's… he's just like me! _

"_You remind me of L. There's something about you that's just like him."_

_There's no proof that he's— _

_Come on! THE L wouldn't take unnecessary risks like confronting a suspect with an unknown murder weapon directly! That's STUPID! The real L would stay somewhere safe. He'd think of a plan first! _

But then Light remembered how much fun _he_ had gloating over dying criminals and FBI agents… If L really was "just like him..."

_Alright, it's unlikely it's L unless he is absolutely certain that I couldn't do anything to him. Could it be he feels safe just because Kira doesn't know his name? Is he really that overconfident?_

Light looked up to see that Ryuuzaki was still staring at him, no _studying him _intently.

_Could Ryuuzaki really be…? _

Light felt himself getting _hot_ as the feelings of anger and betrayal washed over him. L watched puzzled as Light bolted for the restroom, slamming the door behind him and ripping it from its hinges.

L winced as he suddenly realized how easily Light could hurt him if he wanted to. Light didn't need his name in that monstrous form he could kill him with his bare hands and though L knew that if Light killed him now his death would alert the other investigators to Kira's identity that thought offered him little solace.

Meanwhile in the bathroom Light stepped into the freezing shower just as the flames began to roll off his skin. It was never this bad before. The very thought that Ryuuzaki could be his _enemy_—the very L he was fighting all this time was… He wanted to _scorch the Earth_ at the very idea!

_No! PLEASE NO! DAMMIT! NO! I—I __**love**__ this man! I love… _

It was scary how fast the bond had formed. It was like Ryuuzaki was the first human being he could actually even _relate _to. He couldn't even imagine a perfect world without that beautiful quirky genius in it.

Light immediately saw this attachment as a weakness—it was an obstacle to all he had worked for. He _HAD_ to kill L! He didn't _want_ to but he _needed_ to. What was _one life_ compared to the thousands, the millions he could save by acting as Kira? If he couldn't kill L he was compromising his mission and everything he stood for! Stopping was unthinkable—what would it have been all for if he didn't see it through to the end? He _HAD_ to kill L! He had to kill… Ryuuzaki...

"Light-kun?" Ryuuzaki asked softly, his voice laced with concern as he stumbled into the bathroom to find where Light had taken to huddling in the corner of the shower.

Light stared at his knees unseeing as the shower spray rolled down his face (it _had_ to be spray…)

L stumbled backwards in surprise when Light suddenly put his fist through the bathroom tiles and roared "_**It's not fair!**_"

"Life isn't fair, Light..." L again wished he could figure out that whole _tact_ thing soon because aggravating Light didn't seem particularly wise at the moment. L watched as the water from the shower turned to steam before hitting Light's skin and how little tongues of flame rolled off of him in bursts (giving _"flaming"_ a whole new meaning) and began to get an inkling of just how dangerous Light really was...

Meanwhile, Light quickly thought of an excuse to explain his behavior. "You weren't supposed to know! _No one_ was supposed to know! You weren't supposed to see me _like this!_" It came out as a choked sob.

_Yes_, Light thought to himself. _I truly am an amazing actor_.

"Light-kun…"

Light saw L's obvious look of concern, and how the other reached out his hand but withdrew it in fear of getting burned. Light took a deep breath and another and slowly he managed to calm himself and the flames subsided. L tentatively laid his hand on Light's shoulder and to his surprise found it cold to the touch.

"I'm not a Shinigami! I'm not Kira!_ I'm not a monster!_"

"Alright…" L said it softly, soothingly as he crouched down next to Kira, like he was trying to tame a wild beast... (The thought occurred to him that perhaps he _could_ tame Kira if he just found the right leash. Maybe after this was all over he could keep Kira as a pet…) "I'm sorry, Light-kun." Light quickly masked his surprise at L's apology but the detective saw how that tail stood on end. "I didn't think. I—Has this always happened or…?"

Light hugged his knees to his chest. "One day I just woke up this way," he said brokenly, determined to play the pity card for all it was worth. He promised his mother he wouldn't tell anyone about the family history and besides if Ryuuzaki really was L then the less he knew the better.

_But then if he really is L he'll expect Light Yagami to take some interest in his condition.._.

"I think…" Light began experimentally "I think _I'm a demon._" Light spat the words as if they were poison.

Light gasped as Ryuuzaki suddenly hugged him but recovered in time to smirk evilly over his shoulder.

_No. This is perfect. Even if Ryuuzaki is L himself. ESPECIALLY if Ryuuzaki is L himself… he's mine now! _

_I won't have to kill him! Ryuuzaki can and __**will **__repent his crimes for going against Kira. He's in my thrall—he'll give me everything if I just ask… This is my perfect victory! _

Light had long dreamed of defeating the detective, of beating his worthy opponent into the cold dead ground. But this was even better—he could keep L alive as a servant for Kira, a plaything… a pet.

_And he won't even realize how he's being used... _Light frowned. Some glimmer of his former humanity found that idea to be very unsettling. _It almost seems unfair… It's just... too easy._ _That's it. I'll wait to ask L to stop investigating. _Honestly Light was having too much fun matching wits against him and if he took him down too fast others were sure to fill that vacuum… better the devil you know and Light was confident that L could not harm him now. His experiments indicated that once he claimed a human they were incapable of harming him even when he provoked them. All he had to do was "Ryuuzaki… Could you not tell anyone about this?"

When Ryuuzaki stared at him blankly Light continued "I mean _look_ at me. _I'm a demon!_ Most people will just judge on appearances. What if someone gives my name to Kira?"

Ryuuzaki locked eyes with him and said in his most reassuring and condescending tone "Light-kun, whatever you are, I'm sure you're not a demon. Such a thing does not exist. Perhaps you are some new kind of genetic mutant?" Light's eyes narrowed and his tail twitched in irritation but he refused to rise to the bait. Ryuuzaki chewed on his thumb for a moment. "Light-kun… would you let me study you? We can figure this out together." Ryuuzaki asked innocently as he gave his cutest smile.

"I thought you said you were majoring in Criminal Justice." Light reminded him.

"Oh, that's right…" L looked rather abashed.

_Yep, we're just two normal college students. Nothing is going on… _Light managed to suppress the "I-got-you-there" smirk but it did little good to hide his feelings since L had certainly noticed how Light had unconsciously curled his tail triumphantly and possessively around his waist.

"I'm minoring in biology. I thought maybe I'd go into forensics."

Light nodded. Yes that seemed a better fit with Ryuuzaki's "shyness."

"If you study me that would mean telling other people..."

"No you see… my grandfather is a genetics researcher. He owns a company."

"Your grandfather?" Light looked dubious. L wondered what sort of impression Watari left behind as he pressed on. "It would be completely confidential, I promise," Ryuuzaki persuaded. "I mean, look at you, you're _amazing!_ I bet somewhere in your genome is a cure for cancer!"

Light looked deflated "For a moment there I thought you were going to say 'amazing in bed.'"

_Of course Kira has an ego the size of a planet… _Apparently he needed to stroke it some more before this conversation could advance any further.

"…And I thought that goes without saying," L said through gritted teeth. It was true but he was loath to admit it—alright the sex was amazing but that was kind of overshadowed by the fact that he _slept with his suspect_. This wasn't his finest hour.

"You'd be doing a great service to the world and should you want it you'd get credit and half of the proceeds of anything we might discover or develop from you.

_Ryuuzaki is L. If I say no it looks like I have something to hide._ Light sighed. "I suppose it depends what you mean by 'study.'"

"Nothing too invasive... I'm thinking draw some blood; take some X-rays, a full physical workup…"

"Done by you right?" Light abruptly cut in, "_Not_ your grandfather." Light visibly shuddered. The young incubus could not turn off his "sex-beam" powers—that's why he avoided humans whenever possible. Light had already met Ryuuzaki's grandfather… and made a hasty retreat when the old man goosed him.

L looked surprised. "If that's what you want… I suppose I _am_ already qualified to do simple exams." Ryuuzaki stated with faux humility.

Light nodded. "I would rather it was you."

L stared more intently as he realized what else was inherent in that request… _"I wouldn't mind if __**you**__ touched me." Light is__** infatuated **__with me. He likes me, he trusts me. I'm sure if I just keep asking, he'll admit to me he's Kira—he'll tell me everything. _

"Thank you." Light said softly and nuzzled against him. L startled at the sudden contact.

_He's still jumpy around me, despite what he says. I suppose I would be too in his position but seriously_ _he's acting like I intend to devour him or something… Well a little late for that—I already did. The meat was saltier than potato chips but Ryuuzaki seemed to enjoy it… _

Light stifled a giggle and a smug smile broke through despite his best efforts.

_"What?"_

"You know I'm not going to _eat you_, right…?" Light's voice dropped in pitch as he added in a sultry tone "That is unless you want me to."

"Why would I want…! _Oh…!_"

Light grinned as Ryuuzaki's cheeks burned. He was unaware of how his tail swished mischievously-L was finding reading it was easier and more accurate than a polygraph.

"You know, I like you like this."

Light looked puzzled until he noticed where Ryuuzaki was staring.

"You like my _tail?_" Light asked incredulously.

L blushed and nodded "I-it's just so big and long… and…" Ryuuzaki grabbed hold of the smooth, scaly tail and delicately stroked it with his long fingers.

_Yes, it's better to let Light think that's why I keep watching it. _

Light groaned at the touch and it soon turned into a growl. He caught Ryuuzaki's wrist and shoved it forcefully to an area that could use that treatment more.

"Stroke it!" Light demanded. Ryuuzaki obeyed. For a moment Light just let himself get lost in the _awesome_ feeling of Ryuuzaki's soft hand moving against him.

"You like my tail…" Light repeated breathily and his face split in a dangerous leer. "Want me to show you how I can use it?"


	13. Control

**A/N:**_ I own nothing._

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**Chapter 13 Control**

L felt himself getting hot even under the freezing water of the shower as Light's tail slithered up his thigh.

"That's not really neces—" L began but his breath hitched when Light pressed up against him. Light's tongue, now too long and slightly forked, flicked out to lick obscenely up his neck. L groaned as he felt Light pawing at him while he continued his work of planting wet kisses, his tail writhed against L's bare skin, moving up and around and behind him, teasing at his sore entrance. L winced at the thought of doing that _now_. "Light!" L scolded (L was mortified when it came out in an embarrassing squeak). The detective slipped and stumbled in his haste of trying to get away. Light caught him at the last moment with that damned tail before he could fall roughly on the bathroom tiles.

"Whoa, careful now" Light admonished as he held his Raven close, staring deeply into the dark abyss of his eyes. Ryuuzaki glared back defiantly through his messy black mane. "You're still sore…" Light realized. "It's okay," he said apologetically "If you'd rather I can show you later…" Light promised in a sultry whisper as he held him close, his tail curling possessively around L's waist.

"I—" Ryuuzaki blushed. Admittedly Light's offer was very temping—his body shivered in anticipation; he very much _wanted_ to. Sure he was sore but he was sure he could take it. As L he had trained extensively on how to take pain in the event that he was ever kidnapped… (_Had_ he been kidnapped? If he was somehow being controlled…) Without thinking about it L snuggled into Light's warm chest. He was no longer wet and cold under the showerhead in Light's embrace—the cold spray pounded against the canopy of Light's wings. Something in L felt very comfortable and safe in the murderer's arms—and upon recognizing these feelings the detective remembered what a dangerous position this was to be in. He could not afford to let his guard down around Kira! He should not have slept with him in the first place! That settled it—there was more at stake right now than his immediate wants—L _really_ needed to know how much control he had over his situation—if any. Would Light stop if he asked? If there was still a _chance_ to take back control he had to take it. He couldn't lose...

"Please, can we _not_… right now?" Ryuuzaki whined. "I mean… I want to… but I'm still… sore." He said with a grimace, pretending it ached a lot worse than it did.

Light winced sympathetically. "Sorry." The demon nuzzled against his neck. L noticed how Light's tail fell away, drooping in contrition. "Ryuuzaki, _Please_ tell me if I'm being too rough with you! I don't want to hurt you!"

"_I don't want to hurt you." That seems so… REAL. Would that change? If he knew that I am L?_

L grimaced, it was a major blow to his pride that Light saw him as something so weak and fragile but the detective ground out a genuine-sounding "Thank you." L pushed against his chest and Light reluctantly let him go.

"I'm sorry," Light apologized again. "Do you want suck your cock, again?"

_Alright, THAT I wouldn't mind terribly… NO! Focus! _

Meanwhile it seemed his body had acted on its own, pushing the younger man down.

_Dammit! He MUST be controlling me! _

L groaned as that now long, forked tongue played against his hardness. L swallowed nervously as just a hint of fangs scraped against him before Light deep throated him—it seemed he had lost his gag reflex in this form and L idly wondered if Light could unhinge his jaws like a snake. With another strong jolt of pleasure L's fingers fisted into Light's hair; finding and grabbing hold of the demon's spiral horns (making a note that those were very useful to grab on to). L couldn't quite bring himself to regret going against his plan—he decided he hadn't REALLY lost this round—he didn't! Light was still doing exactly what he wanted...

"_Oh, Light!"_

L very much enjoyed those wet, wild sensations, watching this powerful being (who was in all likelihood the self-appointed God, Kira) sucking his dick. L didn't last long. The detective felt a smug expression creeping onto his face as Light swallowed it down and when a bit of the milky white substance dribbled from the corner of his mouth Light kittenishly lapped it up. L gaped at his suspect and tried to push down the confusing, conflicting feelings that threatened to overwhelm him and just look at this whole situation logically. If this was all just an act it was a damned good one….

As Light watched how L had melted into a mess of sighs he could again feel himself losing control as he was very tempted to ravish the detective… but Ryuuzaki had already made his wishes very clear. Perhaps getting out of his "ravishing" form might help. Light strained and forced his wings up into his back.

L watched curiously as Light braced himself up against the shower wall, and then continued to watch in bile fascination as Light's wings, horns, and tail shriveled up, disappearing into his body, his face contorted in pain as he gasped for breath.

"Wha—?"

"I... changed back," Light panted.

"I see that. _Why?_" L stared and stared, taking in everything. The detective couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed that useful telltale tail was gone but he wanted to see more of that face, flushed, panting, and in agony. L fantasized about pushing the other to the ground, making him cry and beg, and scream his alias. It would be so easy now that Light was weak and vulnerable. But, alas, he was in no condition to at the moment since he just released.

Light mumbled something in answer to L's question that L didn't quite catch and turned away, still breathing heavily. It didn't take a genius to guess the nature of his problem-the teen had become painfully aroused from getting him off and that hadn't changed even after... shapeshifting.

_Just what are the limits of Kira's power?_ L felt a sliver of doubt work its way into his mind—what if Light WAS some supernatural entity not governed by logic or any natural laws? _No… He is no God!_

L could prove it! The detective sprung to his feet and pressed himself against a very surprised Light where he was pressed against the wall, trying to finish up quickly and quietly. The detective reached around to lend a hand (it was best to keep Light infatuated with him—that's all. It wasn't like he was returning the favor or anything) and delighted in the way he could make Light lose control.

Stroke, stroke, stroke. L was pleasantly surprised when Light leaned back against him in a clear sign of trust—like a wolf bearing his throat—letting loose a series of beautiful little whimpers and whines. The detective grinned. Perhaps he _could_ top him if he planned it right…

Light was twitching again and then shouting L's alias and came in a sticky mess all over his hand. L leaped away at the last moment as the wings again erupted from Light's back.

_So that's how to trigger the change... _L managed to deduce before he was glomped by a suddenly _very cuddly_ demon, Light's tail was wagging happily as he covered L in sloppy kisses.

_My pet… _L thought as he indulged in the ensuing warm and fuzzy feeling and vague sense of victory.

00000

"Why _do you _change back?" Ryuuzaki asked from the bed. He typically found sleep a waste of time but he had for once been rather looking forward to drifting off again snuggled up against his lover, being enveloped in the warm, protective embrace of Light's crimson wings. He was naturally very disappointed when Light changed back to normal and began to get dressed.

Light gave L a blank look. "You're kidding, right?"

"You're very powerful. It's not like anyone can stop you if you wanted to just... walk around like that."

Of course, to L the answer was clear—Light was ashamed of being… whatever he was but L was curious to see how Kira would react when confronted with that idea.

Light didn't bother to respond and just continued to get dressed. L was highly amused—it appeared that Kira was _sulking._

"I like you like that." L assured the teen.

Light gaped at the other man. "You like me looking like an ugly _freak?_"

L rolled his eyes. "Light-kun looks amazing either way. Surely he knows this and is fishing for compliments."

Light sighed. "To answer your question-well besides the obvious of people panicking and screaming at my approach—my clothes don't fit right in that form."

The detective gave his trademarked pervy smile"…And why do you need to get dressed?"

Light huffed and reached for his dress shirt. "I thought we might go out," he blurted out suddenly. "You know—if you want."

L stared intently, Light had a much better poker face when he looked human but the detective noticed the slight slump of his shoulders, the downcast eyes... Light was looking so very... _guilty._

"Light-kun, are you asking me on a date?" L was wary. _Is he leading me into some sort of trap? But… to what purpose? What could he possibly gain from any of this? He's had plenty of opportunities to kill me before... Come to think of it, Light seemed kind of down ever since… ever since I suggested he was too rough with me! Could it be that he just feels guilty because he thinks he hurt me? Is that even possible? This is Kira! Kira… Light… I thought you were like me! You'd let nothing stand in the way of your goals! How can you feel guilty about __**this**__ and sleep peacefully after killing so many people? Because I'm not a criminal? Because he doesn't know that I am L? Because he__** likes**__ me? Kira-kun certainly has a warped sense of justice—but then I knew that much already. In any case it's important that I keep Light so infatuated with me so I may safely continue this investigation. _

"I—I owe you a cake, don't I?"

_Alright, that settles the matter._ Ryuuzaki affected his cutest smile. "I'd love to, Light-kun."

L searched the apartment, hunting down his clothes. His jeans were still intact but the detective scowled when he found his trademarked white sweater had somehow mysteriously gained several claw-shaped tears in the side.

Light looked sheepish. "Sorry... You can borrow one of mine. We're about the same size..."

Of course, L had a whole suitcase full of identical white sweaters but this little guilt trip gave him the opportunity to go through Light's closet. L searched through the entire thing under the pretense of finding a shirt he liked. After failing to find anything of interest other than a flamboyantly pink dress shirt (that he somehow manipulated Light into wearing) the detective finally settled on one of Light's sweaters—it was black and had a pair of white stripes around the collar. L found it a bit itchy—it wasn't as comfortable as the soft wool tops he was used to but he still found himself blushing like a schoolgirl and snuggling into it—it smelled like Light. L sniffed deeply and smiled, a feeling of bliss settled upon his entire being.

_The smell..._ That seemed important somehow. Just the smell made him feel really good.

L stared at his lover (_his __**suspect!**__) _and he just wanted to touch him, and hold him, and keep him, and never let him go.

_Is this what __**love**__ feels like? _

L blinked slowly. _Don't be stupid. He's Kira! _The detective scolded himself. _I am only using his feelings for me to benefit this investigation. This "date" is a perfect opportunity for Wedy to install the cameras. But…_ It suddenly hit L like a punch in the stomach. Why hadn't the taskforce intervened? At the very least he should have received a reproachful call from Watari by now. And surely they should have found it strange when Light suddenly sprouted wings and a tail? _What if the camera in my laptop wasn't working? Was it damaged in the explosion? Of perhaps they're just waiting on my orders? _L hoped that's all it was. _What if something happened to the Taskforce? Did Light do something to Watari? _L suppressed a shiver, his mind seething in cold fury. _If Light did anything to… That's unforgivable_! _No, I don't know for sure yet! I need to get in contact with the taskforce!_

L startled when he felt a hand on his shoulder, he turned to see Light giving him a winning smile. "Are you ready? Then let's go!"

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**A/N: **_This chapter got away from me. I guess we've got to wait for the date (and tail fun) for later _


	14. No Good Deed Goes Unpunished

**A/N: **_I own absolutely NOTHING! _

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**Chapter 14 No Good Deed Goes Unpunished **

It was late afternoon as the new couple began their stroll down the street together. L reflected on how strange it was—he had never felt such a sense of peace as he did now, walking side-by-side with Light, the self-described "demon" who L knew was, in all likelihood, the most notorious murderer in the world. His lover and suspect strutted along beside him showing him the sights of the city as if he were a young demigod taking a favored mortal on a tour of his dominion. The city was beautiful at this twilight hour, the setting sun bathing the world in crimson and gold, and delicate pink Sakura petals fluttered down as they passed a stand of cherry trees—getting everywhere in their hair, on their clothes and sticking to their shoes underfoot. L paused to brush the petals from Light's pink dress shirt, happy for the excuse to touch Light.

"They match your shirt," L commented with a saccharine grin.

"You've got some in your hair." Light chuckled; also glad for an excuse to touch the other, running his fingers through Ryuuzaki's dark tresses. L surprised them both by the way he shivered and leaned into Light's touch. The detective again began to berate himself for allowing himself to feel this way about his suspect—but then liked the way Light's hand found and entwined with his own as they resumed their stroll. Just seeing that beautiful smile and feeling the warmth of Light's hand in his gave him such a profound sense of joy. It left the detective feeling confused, and conflicted, and mostly guilty. L was many things but he was never a happy person and he certainly couldn't afford to be one now considering the source of his current happiness—justice was on the line, sacrifices must be made… but all the usual platitudes rang hollow compared to the feeling of Light's hand in his.

L's anxiety only rose as they walked along and he saw how many people were stopping to stare at them. L was used to people staring at him like he was a freak but they were all so _obvious_ about it! Was it because they were holding hands? L reluctantly broke that contact but people kept staring. Perhaps the damage was already done.

What was Light thinking? Surely this would damage his reputation being seen with someone like him—like this. But Light didn't seem to mind, in fact he ignored them completely, as if "Ryuuzaki" was the only other person alive. The detective was feeling slightly guilty at the smitten looks Light kept sending his way. L knew that, whatever else Light might be, his feelings towards him were completely genuine. L fully intended to exploit that for all it was worth but that didn't stop the nausea that formed in the pit of his stomach at the thought of hurting his Light—which was ridiculous! L was almost certain Light was Kira! And not only that, what with the things Light could do and his psychological profile he was no doubt also behind the recent disappearances as well—in fact it was highly probable that he _burned those men to death_! L tried to remember that every time he found himself swooning over his suspect—like he was right now. L stared his opaque stare, admiring how the setting sun really brought out that secret fire in Light's eyes. Light really was beautiful… but also a monster in every sense of the word.

L was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts when Light suddenly bolted away.

"_Light!_"

It all happened so fast! After the shock wore off L was able to piece together what happened. Ahead of them a young girl had stepped off the curb, into traffic. In a flurry of motion almost too fast for the eye to track Light leapt after her, snatching hold of the child and leaping out of the way just before they could be struck by the oncoming bus. It was a near miss so close that the fabric of Light's shirt caught on something—if he didn't possess that_ demonic strength_ he might have still been dragged under the bus, but instead only his shirt tore open in its passing.

"_Light-kun!_" L snapped out of his state of shock to run over and grab Light by the shoulders.

Light looked just as terrified as L felt—or maybe it was something else. L noticed how Light shook slightly before he composed himself. The detective tried to make sense of the shadows on his face.

"_What were you thinking?_" L demanded after ascertaining that Light and the child were indeed alright. Light was asking himself the same question, trying to calculate his own madness. Because that was obviously what that was—temporary insanity. Seeing someone get run over—it was the first death he ever witnessed firsthand. And the girl… she looked like Sayu when she was very young. Could it really have been as simple as that? A stupid emotional response?

"_You could have been killed!_" Ryuuzaki continued to shout at him.

Light doubted it, what with his godlike demon powers, but still it was worrying. Using his body as a meat-shield was exactly the thing he said he _wouldn't_ do. It's was just instinct kind of took over… and that was kind of scary. Light took a calming breath and gave Ryuuzaki his best reassuring smile but Ryuuzaki remained unimpressed.

"Sorry, Ryuuzaki. I know that was reckless. I'm sorry that I scared you…"

L huffed and then just resumed staring at him in what Light was beginning to recognize as Ryuuzaki's you-didn't-really-scare-me pose: his expression would become even blanker than usual and he would stare as if he was trying to dissect him with his eyes. That was the kind of dumb rookie move he'd expect of well, someone around Light's age… like Matsuda. But Light was supposed to be smarter than that!

"It was _stupid!_"

Light immediately bristled. "Would you prefer that I had done nothing? She would have died! If you have the power to save a life—shouldn't you do it?"

_If you have the power… _

_Kira…_

_Yes, he saved an innocent life. But one good deed does not excuse all that Kira has done or change what Light is! If anything his actions now prove the profile... Light, Kira—he's playing God with people's lives. You'd save them or kill them __**on a whim**__!_

L leveled Light a stare filled with rare anger "Dammit, Light! The cost is too high if it means losing you!" The detective blurted out and was immediately surprised by his own reaction. Why should he care what happened to Kira? (Except that Kira and his Light were no doubt one and the same.) He was only playing a part! Kira was his enemy! He was never supposed to see Light as his friend let alone his _lover!_

_This sort of thing seems to happen all too frequently around Light-kun. I can only think he's having some sort of… influence on me. I don't feel like myself around him. Kira can control people's actions and he's probably controlling me. Did he somehow rewrite my personality without my knowledge or consent? _

"R-Ryuuzaki…" L watched in wonderment as his suspect blushed and looked almost bashful at L's outburst. "I-I don't think I was in any great danger, really… maybe."

"Maybe?"

"Well," Light said dropping his voice "my ability to heal is one power I haven't tested extensively—for obvious reasons…"

Meanwhile the girl Light saved clung to his leg, crying. L crouched down to her eyelevel and addressed her "Hello there," the detective began, gently "Do you know where your family is?"

The girl hid behind Light, shouting "Badman!"

L winced. _That hurt_. He knew most people saw him as a freak, but he always prided himself on being good with kids and furthermore _he_ wasn't the monster here! L resisted the urge to shrink in on himself in the face of the condemning eyes of the crowd. For a fearful moment L was afraid someone was going to accuse him of being a pedophile or something.

Then it dawned on L that there was an obvious reason for the girl's reaction—he had been shouting...

"No, he's okay. I promise," Light assured her. "Ryuuzaki is a very nice man. He was just scared."

"Haruka!" A woman cried and ran to claim the child.

"Mommy, _I was so scared!_" The child cried but her mother seemed to ignore her once her gaze fell on Light, taking in his handsome face and his torn shirt that revealed his bare, delicious chest.

L watched on in disgust. _Yes, parent of the year, that one._ The detective felt a stab of discomfort, quickly giving way to anger and hatred as the woman continued devouring Light with her eyes. _HIS_ Light! L swallowed. He had never felt this strongly towards another person. It was like… it was like he had just found the world's best tasting cake and he didn't want to share and anyone who tried to steal what was his would receive a fork in their hand. It took the top detective far longer than it should have to realize that what he was feeling was _jealousy. _

The girl piped in "He saved me, mommy!"

Unnoticed by L his thumb began bleeding as he worried it between his teeth as he watched that woman forcefully pressing herself up against _his_ Light. Light looked distinctly uncomfortable as the woman began pushing her cleavage up again his arm.

"Hi," the woman breathed out slowly. "I'm Sango."

Seemingly out of nowhere more women appeared to Light's great discomfort—seeing as they were just as grabby.

"I'm Usaagi."

"I'm Yori."

"Dibs."

"No way, he's mine!"

"Hey, I saw him first!"

Light shot L a pleading look "_Help!_"

L decided that he could be gracious enough to take pity on Light's plight "Excuse me ladies, but I'm afraid I really must be stealing back my boyfriend." L tried to punctuate this by possessively grabbing Light away from those… _harpies_.

"Your boyfr—?" The women all stood around in shock. L looked to Light, he feared he crossed the line there but Light seemed relieved.

"Thanks –" He began when they were all interrupted when a large, balding man lurched onto the scene.

"_What are you doing, you bitch!_"

"Sa-Satoru?" Sango paled as her husband forced his way through the crowd. Before anyone could react the man snagged a hold of a very surprised Light in a forceful kiss. Light pushed hard against him at about the same time L kicked him in the shin. The man went flying. Light and L grabbed each other's hand and they both made a break for it… and Light took one look at Ryuuzaki's running, the awkward, jerky motions and at the mob gaining on them and promptly grabbed the other man and flung him over his shoulder, ignoring all of Ryuuzaki's indignant protests. Light turned a corner, unfurled his wings and took off, flying at a frenzied pace as if all the fiends of Hell were after him.

L tried to suppress his surmounting terror as Light flew them frantically over the rooftops, his powerful red batwings snapping out repeatedly in a series of frenzied flapping. He was again completely at Kira's mercy—if Light chose to drop him he would surely die and even if Light didn't have malicious intent his current "flying" could still very well be the death of both of them. In a panicked moment L considered trying his luck at leaping for one of the rooftops below but even if he somehow managed to reach his target he'd be lucky to get away with just breaking every bone in his body and so L held on for dear life. Sensing Ryuuzaki's distress by the way his fingernails dug into his back Light forced himself to calm down and settled into a more relaxed glide. But even after Light stopped the airborne equivalent of a rollercoaster ride he could still feel Ryuuzaki's heart hammering against his chest and the barely heard whimpering mantra of _"Please… don't let me go!" _

Light frowned. Of course he would never drop Ryuuzaki; he had him secured against him with his claws and tail.

"I won't," Light replied softly but his words were no doubt lost to the wind and Ryuuzaki continued to burrow his face into Light's chest.

Light rode on an updraft taking him further up into the darkening sky and was treated to a view of the glittering cityscape below.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Light shouted to be heard over the roaring wind.

L slowly opened his eyes which had been squeezed shut in terror to see the beautiful and terrifying sight of the towers of Tokyo becoming little more than toys far, far below.

"Yes, yes it is beautiful but Light-kun… Light, can we land… _please?_ Before I am forced to be sick on you?"

L squeezed tighter as Light dove down and veered to the left. He landed or rather skidded to a stop, his claws raking the roof of a derelict building. L fell to his knees; his fingers gripped lovingly at the beautiful, _beautiful_ ground. Light crouched next to L, his hand stroking soothingly along his back.

"I'm sorry. I really should have seen that coming."

L looked at Light in confusion. "Seen what coming?" _The kid trying to get run over? The crazy women? The __**crazy husband**__? Or that I'm afraid of… no I'm not afraid of heights. That's totally irrational. What I have is a perfectly sensible fear of falling to my death. Not even I could have predicted something like this series of misfortunate events. _

"All of it!" Light snapped in frustration. "I'm… I'm sorry. I just… _really_ wanted to take you out!"

L moved in close and caressed Light's cheek.

"We're still out."

Light looked up in surprised. After everything that happened, he was sure that Ryuuzaki would want nothing more to do with him. Ryuuzaki smiled reassuringly and Light found himself smiling back

"You're right. The night's still young, so where did you want to go?"

L's eyes lit up "I think I saw a candy shop on the way over here!" Leave it to L to notice every sweetshop in town even in a moment of mortal peril. It was like his radar, or rather his L-dar

Light smiled "Alright, I'll take you there!"

L gulped when Light spread his wings again, not even the promise of candy could quell L's anxiety about flying. The detective surreptitiously looked around, stalling for something which would delay the inevitable.

"Er… As much as I love to see him shirtless, perhaps Light-kun should pick up a shirt or something…"L was really grasping at straws because surely they'd have to go out to do that too. The detective was well aware that they'd have to leave the roof _sometime _and L doubted that going through the derelict building would be any safer.

"You know," L added, "to avoid a repeat of… _that._" The raven again felt a churning in his gut at the thought of those people touching _his_ Light. L was very confused by these feelings.

_Why did all those people have to...? No. It's perfectly understandable. Light is a very attractive young man. He just "heroically" saved a little girl maybe it was a bit over the top (and mentally scarring) but it's perfectly natural to see why he'd be attractive… well except for the married man but then I don't know his history. Perhaps baldy Satoru is bi or in the closet. It's not outside the realm of possibility. The only thing I know for sure is that if I ever see Satoru do that to my Light again I'm going to break him._ L sighed as he tried to gain control of his darkening thoughts. _ This only proves Light could have anyone he wants! So why does he lov—why is he so infatuated with me?_

"Oh right. Just a sec!" Light announced, unaware of L's current brooding.

There was a reason Light picked this roof. The demon moved a couple of bricks in the wall to reveal a hidden compartment. Light pulled out a gym bag.

Upon seeing Ryuuzaki's questioning look Light quickly explained "It's mine. I had this set up in case of an emergency…" Light produced a grey hoodie from the bag. It wasn't nearly as nice as the dress shirt that got destroyed but it would be easier to move unnoticed among the humans. "Oh, did you want anything, Ryuuzaki?" Light asked before he turned away to get dressed.

L wondered in bemusement what sort of emergency Light was prepared for seeing how the bag contained a change of clothes, a couple of bottles of water, and a bag of potato chips. The detective picked up the bag of chips, holding it between his thumb and forefinger. Of course he had noticed how Light ate potato chips with great enthusiasm when he had him under surveillance…

"How can anyone enjoy eating something that tastes so salty?" the sweet-toothed detective wondered aloud as Light slipped into the grey hoodie.

Light smirk was hidden within the folds of the fabric of the sweater. "Well, you seemed to enjoy it."

When Light finished getting dressed and turned back around his smirk turned into a mischievous grin when he saw how Ryuuzaki's face had flushed with color again.


	15. No Escape

**A/N: **_I OWN NOTHING!_

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**Chapter 15 No Escape**

L's eyes lit up in delight as he gazed hungrily, his face pressed up against the large plastic tubes that held a rainbow of assorted candies gummy bears, sharks, and worms, peppermints, lollipops, jolly ranchers, warheads, gumballs, and licorice. The detective drooled, ignoring the disapproving stares to grab a fistful of gummy worms to add to his ever-expanding bag.

Light hovered protectively nearby; looking clearly uncomfortable as his heightened senses were assaulted by the sounds of screaming children and the nauseating smell of sugar, but he hid it well. L only noticed Light's discomfort because he was the three best detectives in the world.

_Well, good._ L wasn't exactly comfortable with suddenly being forced up to 30,000 feet either. When they finally landed on solid ground L's heart was hammering in his chest so hard he feared it would burst. Light had then held him against his chest until he was steady on his feet again, stroking his back, and making soothing noises. He had apologized profusely, claiming he didn't realize that flying would frighten him so. L wondered how anyone could possibly _forget_ something like that. Did it really just slip his mind? L mused that Light's apology had seemed real enough however the detective never claimed not to be petty… L winced too as another young child screeched nearby. Honestly, he didn't like going out much either. The noise-level was atrocious. Naturally, he was only here for the candy...

L frowned as he saw how more people tried to flirt with Light much to Light's _obvious_ discomfort. Many people were giving them odd looks especially since Light had rebuffed the advances of many girls in the space of a few minutes. L felt a dangerous surge of jealousy as he noticed how a couple of men were giving Light the eye. Getting candy and making Light uncomfortable suddenly took a backseat to L's new goal of 'getting the hell out of here as soon as possible...'

As they waited in line to checkout they got stuck behind an old lady who was buying the store "for her grandkids" somehow lugging around even more candy than L (both genii had to admit, it was an impressive feat), ringing up a huge price. Light just hoped that they could be out of there soon; the children's shrieking was giving him an earsplitting headache. In front of them the elderly lady opened her purse and began to pay in pennies.

Meanwhile L's frown deepened when it seemed that Light had given up on speaking to his train of admirers, and seemed to be trying to just ignore them by staring determinedly at the wall. Something twisted in his gut when Light didn't look his way either. His boyfri—_suspect_ probably feared a repeat of earlier but it still hurt that… L abruptly stopped that train of thought, and took a bite out of his oversized rainbow lollipop as he pondered…

_What if Light has this effect on everyone? _

As they waited in line the intensity of the children's temper tantrums intensified in volume. Light suddenly fall to his knees, his eyes squeezed shut, and his hands over his ears.

"Light!" L shouted. The detective dropped his candy and rushed to his side. He almost seemed to be having some kind of seizure. At the same time one of the men who had been giving Light the eye, a creepy looking older guy, stepped in, revealing himself to be an opportunist predator as he declared "Son! Let's get you home!" No doubt with the intention of spiriting the teen off to his black van...

"What do you think you're doing?" L demanded.

"Get your hands off my son you ugly freak!" The stranger thundered. "I'm taking my son home!"

L's spine cracked as he drew up himself to his full height, his manner was cold, powerful, and deadly serious. It was just the vaguest hint at his true identity as L—the most powerful force for Law Enforcement on the planet. It gave the stranger pause.

"No, you're not his father! _I, personally, know his father_ from our work the _National Police Agency_! So whatever you had planned to do to _my friend _I would strongly recommend you not see it through."

Meanwhile the room had become hushed as the children had been dragged out by their parents or stopped screaming to watch the clash of the two adults.

The man sputtered "No way, man! There's no way _someone like you_ is a cop!"

"I'm undercover," L stated blandly as he again found his lollipop. "Now if you'll excuse me my friend needs medical attention. Get out of my way or I will be forced to arrest you. There's still time for your name to show up on the 6 o'clock news."

The man paled and then made a mad dash out the door.

"Ryuu—Ryuuzaki?"

L released a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"I'm right here, Light. C'mon, let's get out of here."

That they knew each other seemed to satisfy the bystanders. L rolled his eyes when they tittered on in the background about what they had seen:

"Do you think they're _together?_" a girl loudly whispered.

"I-I thought they said they were just friends," said a round-faced girl in blue blocker glasses.

"He didn't use honorifics!"

Another squealed "Do you really think they're lovers?"

"Ha, fags!"

"Maybe he's just a foreigner."

Embarrassed, Light quickly got to his feet—too quickly. The demon belatedly realized he might still have an inner ear problem from all the screaming. He wobbled a bit but then Ryuuzaki was there. They desperately clung to each other as L guided them out the door.

"Ngh! But… your candy!"

"We can get it later, Light."

At the moment L was more concerned about Light… er, his suspect. _Well, _L rationalized, _if he dies on me I'll never find out how he kills..._

"Are you alright, Light-kun?" L asked with genuine concern.

"I'm fine Ryuuzaki."

"Then care to tell me what happened in there?" _Why didn't you…_ _You should have told me you were in pain!_ L stopped and reanalyzed that thought. Did he really expect Light, _Kira_, to act against his very personality just because they were sleeping together? Well why the hell not? It seemed to be happening to him!

"Perhaps we should visit the clinic now…?" L began as he looked into Light's eyes for any signs of trauma. This task was made more difficult when Light's eyes flashed red for a moment.

"Don't worry about it. It wasn't _that bad…_" Light insisted, attempting to salvage his pride.

"Obviously it was or you wouldn't be doubled-over in pain."

"Ryuuzaki, I'm fine!"

L gave him a _look_ and the demon fidgeted.

" It's just…"

"Just what?" L pressed.

Just ever since becoming a demon everything was so much sharper, so much clearer—his heightened senses couldn't cope with all the stimuli.

"It was just a bit loud in there, that's all. But I really am fine now."

"Really?" L asked skeptically.

"Trust me?" Light asked with a doe-eyed expression.

The edges of L's lips curled upward in amusement and L patted Light on the back as if they were both in on a private joke. "_Sure_, I trust you Light."

Light pouted when he detected Ryuuzaki's note of sarcasm.

_He does have a weakness. Then when we move in to arrest him… _It seemed inordinately cruel but it would be necessary with Light's superhuman abilities…

But the thought of arresting Light… of _hurting_ Light made L very sad.

_Dammit, it's my job to… No, Light is far too dangerous to give up to the normal police! With his abilities what prison could hold him? I suppose we could keep him __alive in a medically induced coma but that's assuming that drugs would even work on him. Besides there's another issue—once I've captured him everyone is going to want Kira's power. They'd do anything to get it out of him and then instead of dealing with one Kira we could end up with dozens in a new arms race… No, to protect the world only I can be Kira's jailer. In any case I'm getting ahead of myself. I still have to figure out how to stop him first. Yeah, maybe he'll stop killing if I ask him nicely. _But then from the looks Light kept sending him… _I would never have thought it but… just maybe, if I play my cards right; that might just be within the realm of possibility... _

Light squeezed L's hand reassuringly and the detective smiled.

"Come on, Light-kun. Let's go someplace more quiet…"

The younger man grunted in agreement.

"I guess this means I can never take you to a rock concert," the detective stated with barely contained amusement.

"It wasn't so bad," Light lied transparently.

L covertly looked Light over. He did seem to be doing alright, though the detective noticed that his lov—suspect looked a bit down. Well of course L had rightfully pegged Light (_Kira)_ as a prideful bastard from the very beginning. To Kira humiliation would be worse than any injury, maybe even worse than death… That's why he knew his trap with Lind L. Tailor would work. It was another weakness that could be exploited…

L put a hand on Light's shoulder, seamlessly slipped back into playing the part of Light's concerned boyfriend.

"You know what always cheers me up? _Cake!_" L nearly whimpered that last word as he was hit with sugar withdrawal. He was now sorely regretting leaving that big bag of candy behind.

"That's right! I still owe you a cake, don't I? I know just the place…" Light led L to his favorite café which had been his initial objective from the start of this fiasco—they made good coffee there and Sayu had spoken highly of their desert menu, and (perhaps most importantly) the booths were partitioned with huge planters which should give them plenty of privacy—that was important for both of them.

But, just before they were seated, L successfully got Light to leave him alone for a minute and go clean up in the bathroom when he pointed out the gross, sticky candy that had stuck fast to Light's shirt.

"Huh, it must have got stuck there when you collapsed..."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll go clean it up!"

Of course, Light was sure he would have noticced that candy before hand. It hadn't been there before. L knew Light knew too, that it was a slight of hand trick courtesy of a certain smirking detective. L also knew he would have to act fast…

As soon as L was sure Light was in the restroom he retrieved his cellphone from his jeans pocket, making use of this Light-free time to get in contact with Watari.

"Ryuuzaki, is everything alright?" The old man's voice was laden with concern. "The video just cut out while you two were talking…"

"I figured as much when you didn't try to contact me…" L spoke into the cellphone which he held up to his ear between just two fingers.

"Did something happen? We wanted to call you but we were worried about blowing your cover..."

"Thank you, I appreciate it. Yes, something did happen but it was for the best. I made some discoveries and…Watari? Have you… _have you been drinking?_"

Watari was very good at hiding, well anything. After all, L had learned almost everything from him. But the top three detectives in the world still managed to detect the slight slurring of speech. There was an awkward pause before his caretaker tried to assure him "No need to worry, sir. I'm recording this phone call."

_Dammit, that's not the issue! Watari is drunk! That's… that's very unlike him._ _Is there something he's not telling me? This is…. troubling to say the least._

"What is it you wanted to…?"

That's right, it was important to use this time to relay what he had learned…

"I-I made some discoveries…" the detective began and then stopped. It was on the tip of his tongue but for some reason the words jut wouldn't come out. This brought back L's concern (that never really left) that Kira was controlling him somehow…

"L?" Watari prompted after an awkward pause.

But in any case would they really _believe_ him if he just told them that Light was a mutant, or a monster, or a self-proclaimed "demon?" Well, Watari would give him the benefit of a doubt but as for the others…

"I'll show you later. Light has agreed to it himself. He's given me permission to give him a full physical work up…"

"What are you doing right now?"

"I'm on a date with Light."

There was another impossibly long and awkward pause. "Do you want extraction?"

Just then the waitress arrived and put L's cup of earl grey and the sugar bowl in front of him. The detective morosely stared into the depths of his tea cup.

"Negative, I'm in too deep to consider that."

There was another awkward pause. "Understood."

"I can keep him distracted for at least the next five hours. Is that enough time for Wedy to install the cameras?"

Watari sighed "I understand that Aiber has hit a bit of a snag in his negotiations but… we'll try."

"Thank you, I appreciate it… I've got to go." L spirited his cellphone back into his pocket just as the bathroom door flew open and Light made his way back to their table.

Light smiled brightly upon seeing Ryuuzaki (not wanting to burden Ryuuzaki with his trauma of having been hit on again in the men's room.) His lover looked so cute and innocent as he played with his sugar cubes.

"Anyway, like I was saying before…" Light continued their conversation as if they hadn't been interrupted as if he believed nothing was more important than what he had to say. L mused it was a very Kira-like trait.

"…This is my favorite coffee shop. It's nice and quiet and there's no chance of anyone bothering us…"

"Hi, Light!" Yamamoto called from across the restaurant.

L sighed "You had to say it, didn't you?"

Both genii inwardly groaned as Light's friends immediately locked onto them like a barrage of heat-seeking missiles.

00000

Meanwhile across from the door a certain blonde paused in mid-bite of her strawberry sundae when she saw the inhumanly handsome young man with no lifespan enter the restaurant. Kira, her hero—_her savior! _ And he was _right there!_ What a stroke of good fortune! Now she wouldn't even have to risk sending those tapes!

The young woman swooned when she saw Kira, whose name was… was that Tsuki Yagami? What a cool name!

_Who would have thought Kira would be so young and handsome! _The blonde thought giddily.

Misa was feeling overwhelmed. It took all of her willpower to just get up and leave. She very much wanted to throw herself at the beautiful man right then and there (the compulsion to do so was very strong) but (contrary to popular belief) Misa wasn't that stupid. Besides, there were already many girls acting like idiots around him and he completely blew them off! She didn't want that to happen to her. Misa-Misa wanted to make a good first impression! (And, just in case, Misa memorized each of the girl's names. Any girl that got between her and her God was in for an unfortunate accident in the very near future…)

"You finally found him and you're just going to leave?" asked a deep, melodic voice that only she could hear. Misa turned slightly and regarded the white Shinigami that always shadowed her. Rem's purple lips had parted in bemusement revealing the barest hint of fangs. (The effect was very cute.)

"Well I can't just walk up to him and go 'Hi Kira, nice to meet you!' with all these people around!" Misa explained in her usual bubbly tone. "I know his name now. I can easily find out _all about him!_" Misa declared as she skipped on home to prepare for her meeting with her future husband.


	16. A Lovely Outing

**A/N:** _I do not own. _

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**Chapter 16 A Lovely Outing **

L poked morosely at his cake as more of Light's friends surrounded their table. It was a bit irksome. This was supposed to be their date!

_Which,_ L reminded himself; _I only agreed to go on for the sake of the investigation! What should I care who Kira socializes with?_

As the crowd swooned over Light, L mused miserably _Perhaps I should rethink my strategy about capture—Light obviously has a frightening level of personal charm, __**charisma**__, that his… followers would probably gladly kill for him or die for him should he but ask. Whatever course I must take in this I can't expose him publicly—it would be a bloodbath! That means… I have to do it. When the time comes I have to keep Light… Hmmm… perhaps even Light wouldn't find that too terrible after he gets over losing of course. Kira hates to lose... _

"Where have you been hiding, Light? I haven't seen you in ages!" Yamamoto enthused as he crowded into the booth next to Light and several other people—some friends, some acquaintances, and some strangers crowded around Light and L's table.

Light, admittedly, missed being the center of attention after his self-imposed exile of several months and they were acting civil enough at the moment…

As L listened to how Light was really laying it on thick; spinning a dramatic tale about how he had been deathly ill with a wasting disease and so sadly couldn't hang out with any of them—if the detective had any doubts before they were gone now as he watched the very definition of a master manipulator in his natural environment. L knew all this and yet he was still somehow drawn in by the spell Light was weaving...

"…but I'm feeling a bit better today" Light finished his harrowing tale and then politely fake-coughed into the palm of his hand.

L rolled his eyes. "Light-kun is such a drama queen."

Several sets of eyes turned on him-most looking annoyed if not outright _hostile_.

Light cleared his throat. "Everyone this is Ryuuzaki, my roommate and… a very good friend of mine."

Light added when he saw how Yamamoto was about to say something rude and disparaging. His mouth quickly clamped closed. Meanwhile more people crowded around their table like flies to honey.

"...b-but we have class in ten minutes! We can't be late!" hissed a long-haired man wearing glasses and a trench coat. He tapped pointedly at his watch as he was dragged by the wrist over to Light and L's table by a smartly dressed woman with short dark hair. Light saw her and went pale.

_Dammit! Not Kiyomi Takada! _

Takada was one of the most persistant of his admirers. Light thought he made it clear the last time he saw her that he wanted to focus on "studying" right now… but for some reason Takada seemed to think they were betrothed or something.

"Oh Light, this is…" Yamamoto began introducing the "strangers."

"Teru -senpai?" Light exclaimed in surprise when he realized he recognized the man that accompanied Takada.

"Yagami-kun?"

Yamamoto's head comically whipped between both of them in surprise. "Wait, you two know each other?"

"I'm surprised you remember me," Teru looked bashfully down at his feet.

"How could I forget?" Light said softly.

L paused mid-bite of eating his cake when he heard how Light's voice was laden with genuine emotion and felt an irrational surge of jealousy when Light reached over and shook Mikami's hand.

_Me? Jealous? Of course not. That's absurd…_ (He had plenty to be jealous of already with the way everyone in the room, this Teru-guy included was looking at his boyfrie—… suspect.)

L glared at Mikami.

_Just what is between them? Is he competition? Or an ex-boyfriend? Or…?_

L made a mental note to thoroughly investigate this man—there was just something about him that made the stoical detective's skin crawl (maybe there was even a Kira connection?)

Takada loudly cleared her throat demanding to be the center of attention. "Yagami-kun, what a pleasant surprise! It seems you've already met my boyfriend, Teru..." Takada smiled nastily.

"B-boyfriend? Since when?" Mikami cringed in pain when Takada stomped on his foot with one of her expensive and elegant high-heeled shoes.

There was more cringing among the witnesses as it was painfully obvious even to the non-genii in the room that Takada was just trying to make Light jealous...

"Oh? Congratulations…" Light nodded to her slightly and sipped at his coffee—and that was all the reaction he would give her and so Takada turned a snobbish eye towards Ryuuzaki.

"You know, I never expected to see you in the company of someone like _that_, Yagami-kun."

Light narrowed his eyes "Someone like _what?_"

"Why that _queer_ man sitting with you of course!" Takada sniffed. "Did he escape a mental institution or a zoo?"

Before L could reply Light had shot up. He was glowered at Takada, sitting in a feral crouch that mirrored L's.

_This woman!_

Of course Light knew what he could do to leave her speechless and get rid of her once and for all…

_I can trust Yamamoto and Mikami with this. In fact Yamamoto no doubt knows already what with that one time… Of course Takada and all these idiots. They'll tell everyone but realistically can I expect to keep this hidden? What with EVERYONE chasing after me? _

Ryuuzaki's question gnawed at him _"Why do you hide?"_ By being so secretive and appearing to be so flawless he wasn't doing himself any favors of not looking like Kira. If a background was too perfect like his was that might raise more red flags than a criminal record. The investigators would no doubt want to see a human "flaw." It would give them all something else to focus on—and _he_ didn't consider it a "flaw…" Light glanced around the table at his train of admirers—all these idiots around him—did he really care what any of them thought?

_It's my New World—only my opinion is valid. I'm okay with what I am._

It was wearing him out playing obedient son and perfect student while carrying so many secrets. It would be a relief to relinquish one of them—especially since he wanted to shout it from the rooftops.

_I'm an adult now and God of the New World. Either dad will accept it or not. I'm tired of hiding it. _

"Actually I lied before. Ryuuzaki isn't my friend…"

Takada looked relieved and L dropped his spoon in shock. Light reached across the table and clasped L's hand in his.

"He's my boyfriend."

Light decided that come what may it was totally worth it for the look of fury on Takada's face. But she was only an afterthought after the way Ryuuzaki almost seemed to swoon as Light glanced at him with bedroom eyes and Light knew he had made the right choice.

"Wow," one of the girls gasped.

"Congratulations!" Yamamoto enthused.

All around them girls groaned in disappointment while others tittered in excitement.

Light froze. He had never seen Ryuuzaki blushing so red. He hoped it was okay.

L was surprised-he never considered that Light would purposely out himself (out THEM) like this.

"I see. Light-kun is defending my honor. How noble…" L murmured caustically.

_No, how Kira-like._ This was just like the Lind L. Tailor incident. This woman had insulted him, yes but in doing so she had also insulted _Light_ and so she was going down—very childish really—but also very satisfying.

L never claimed not to be childish too.

Meanwhile Takada shrieked at Light, calling him every name ever written on a bathroom stall and knocking over the contents of their table with a sweeping gesture of her hand. Mikami restrained the shrieking harpy before she could attack either of the booth's occupants at which point she turned her wrath on him, slapping him in the face. Takada shouted some more obscenities and, red-faced, she stormed out of the coffee shop.

Mikami quickly and deeply apologized on Takada's behalf and followed her out. While he found her behavior just now to be appalling she was one of his few friends. Also after reuniting with his old friend (who had become an attractive young man that preferred the company of men… ) who was obviously already very happy and very _taken_—he best leave before he did something… _evil_.

"Well, so much for "refined" Takada" Yamamoto quipped, but then he saw how Light seemed to have doubled-over in pain. "Hey buddy, are you alright?"

Takada's screaming was bad enough but then there was something else—ever since Takada threw her tantrum…

"I-I can't move!"

What's worse was his body was trying to revert to its true form.

_No, not here! Not now! _

Light grimaced as tendrils of fear worked their way into his being.

L gaped at his lover in surprise—Light looked… _scared._

"Light-kun!" Ryuuzaki bolted right over the top of the table, his bare foot sliding on and breaking the line of salt that had formed when Takada knocked over the salt shaker.

…And then whatever had overtaken Light had passed as quickly as it had come.

_What__** was**__ that? Weird… _Were there more weird changes happening to his body? He was freakish enough as is! Light was thoroughly disturbed by the prospect of mutating further. Light could only hope that whatever it was it didn't happen again...

"Are you alright?" Ryuuzaki asked with some concern as he absentmindedly stroked Light's back.

"Y-yeah." Light still sounded really shaken.

L forcefully parted Light's train of admirers declaring "C'mon let's get out of here."

_That's the second something like this happened tonight? Light-kun… _

L's thought process was interrupted when he absentmindedly licked some grains of sugar stuck to his fingers (in a motion ingrained in L's muscle memory) and made a face, only afterwards realizing it wasn't sugar...

_Salt?_

The detective looked around and spied how the salt shaker must have rolled on the floor creating a circle-like pattern.

_A circle of salt… _

Of course L was aware of the folklore. On a recent case L had stopped a cult that was killing virgins with the ultimate goal being that they might summon a demon. The cultists had firmly believed that a little circle of salt could contain one.

_No, that's completely absurd! Light is not a demon! Such a thing does not exist!_ The detective absolutely refused to believe in something that defied logic (at least until he ruled out all other possibilities…) _Perhaps whatever mutation Light has has occurred before and maybe it correlates with a salt allergy and this created the mythology…_ However one piece of information poked a hole in L's allergy theory.

_But Light likes potato chips...He isn't adverse to salt—just a ring of salt._ _That doesn't make any kind of logical sense unless… What if he really is…?_ L shook his head as if to clear it. _I need to do that examination. He isn't. Light just__ thinks he's a demon. He called himself a… consciously or unconsciously Light-kun has no doubt just internalized… _

_Of course. He's overcompensating! _

The detective thought with a knowing smirk as his profiling skills kicked into high gear.

_Subconsciously Light sees himself as flawed and so he projects an image of perfection to convince himself and others that he is in fact perfect. Kira tries to eliminate evil in the world because he can't cope with it in himself. He can't accept that he is flawed, that he is wrong, and so he projects his flaws onto the world... But just now he just accepted that he wasn't what society views as "perfect." _

_So what does that mean? _

_For Kira? For the case? For us?_

_What changed? _

L worried at his thumb as he realized. _It's me. He accepts me though I'm flawed._ _That means I can change him!_

L cringed even as he thought it. It sounded so stupid. Like the declaration of some lovestruck hybristophiliac.

_Change Kira? Please! Kira is like me—he'd sooner die than lose! _

L stole a glance at his beloved nemesis as they exited the café. Light still looked plenty shaken though he hid it well.

"Light-kun, what was that?"

"I don't know."

"Light-kun…" L began but stopped. Even if he knew the real cause what were the odds that Light would just tell him? But maybe Light would answer that other pressing question: "Light-kun… Why did you tell them? About us?"

Light looked at Ryuuzaki incredulously.

"You expected me to just sit there and listen to her insult you?"

"Well, yes… I mean; this… I imagine it was harmful to your reputation and..."

"_Ryuuzaki!_"

L froze as Light grabbed him by the shoulders and looked him right in the eye. "I'm not ashamed of you and if they're really my friends they'll stand by my decision," Light smiled grimly as he added "Yes, I think it's clear now who our friends are—Yamamoto and Mikami are our friends, and Takada is not."

"Mikami…"

Light heard L almost growl out the word, like it was something vile.

"You're… _jealous?_"

L fumed as Light threw his head back and laughed.

"Ah, Ryuuzaki, it's nothing like that! No, it's just… he's an old friend of mine is all."

"Really? You sounded very _taken_ with him," L asked suspiciously.

Light glared in annoyance but Ryuuzaki was unrelenting in his questioning. Light finally confessed. "He saved my life in grade school."

"Wha-?"

"…Repeatedly. It's not like I was special or anything. He did that for everyone."

"_Why would… what…?_" L was flabbergasted. He was under the impression that his suspect lived a perfect life. But then didn't he just determine that it was a lie? Why should this be so surprising?

"I wasn't always a popular teenage heart throb, you know," Light smiled at the flummoxed detective. "No, I was the nerdy kid that loved school and learning, always reading ahead, always getting perfect marks, and always getting cornered in the boy's restroom... That was me… until Mikami came along. Mikami was my senpai-he is a very driven individual or at least that was true when I knew him. He could never stand injustice. He eventually got the whole school to stand up against the bullying. He's really inspired me and while I could never be like him he did show me how one person can make a difference and change things for the better," Light smiled beatifically as he added "Justice prevails."

When L noted the passionate note in his voice and how his eyes were shining with youthful idealism he felt the need to ask "Are you sure you're not in love with him?"

Light laughed again and the older man let out an embarrassing squeak when Light pulled him into a hug.

"He's not _you_, Ryuuzaki! So you have nothing to worry about. I just told you he was my role model growing up. That's all. Well, one of many. There was my father of course… and L."

The detective froze with a deer in the headlights look on his face "_What?_"

Light shot Ryuuzaki a coy smirk. "You know I want to be a detective one day. Why shouldn't I admire the greatest detective in the world?" Light chuckled again and shook his head. "Yes, it was always my dream growing up. To meet L, to work with him," Light sighed wistfully as he knowingly confessed his feelings to the real L. "I always imagined I could be a great help—that we could catch many bad guys together."

L looked pointedly at his feet, his pallid cheeks flushed with color. Of course he couldn't acknowledge the compliment without giving himself away. L felt a surge of relief at Light's assurance that he only had feelings for him but that relief was mixed with shame that his very existence had a hand in shaping what Kira would become.

"It was?"

"Mmm Hmmm?" Light hummed in his ear.

"_Was._ Past tense. It _was_ your dream. What changed, Light-kun?"

Light realized his slip and quickly excused it with "Well…" Light lowered his voice "Well, I doubt the Great L would ever want to work with a demon like me."

L just rolled his eyes. "You're not a demon and even if you are if you are that good at detective work that L would take you as his partner I doubt it would matter."

"R-really? Thank you, Ryuuzaki."

"You shouldn't worry so much about _that_—that is _ridiculously_ insecure! Very… _emo._"

"I am NOT!" _If anyone here is emo it's Ryuuzaki! _

L grinned at Light's indignant reaction.

"I mean look at everything you have! A nice apartment, a family that cares about you; and Light-kun is so lucky he has such _good friends,_" L said softly and somewhat bitterly. When L was very young he had _no one_ to save him.

Light remembered with dawning comprehension that Ryuuzaki had said he never really had a friend before.

Light squeezed his hand. "They're your friends too now."

"I-I've never really—"Ryuuzaki stammered out, easily falling into the shy college student role he was playing.

"Now who's emo?" Light murmured childishly.

"Well of course! Any friend of Light's is a friend of mine!" Yamamoto suddenly declared from behind them.

Both genii spun around in shock—it seemed Yamamoto and a train of Light's followers had followed them down the street, listening in on their conversation, hanging on every word.

"That's great Yamamoto but Ryuuzaki and I were kind of having a private moment here."

"Er… a public sidewalk isn't exactly private, you know! I just wanted to make sure you were alright, buddy… er…" Yamamoto noticed the murderous glance Light was sending them. It was terrifying enough that several of Light's stalkers turned tail and ran. "I-I guess we should be leaving now," Yamamoto stammered out as he nervously adjusted his glasses.

"Thank you, Yamamoto. You are a good friend." Light smiled sweetly and for the first time in his life L worried about getting diabetes. The detective, sick of having Light's attention diverted all throughout their "date" and very much effected by Light's sweet smile, suddenly tackled the younger man, planting a wet, sloppy kisses upon his face.

Yamamoto flushed and averted his eyes. "Oi! Guys, get a room!"

"Shall we?" L asked with lust-clouded eyes.

"Hmmm?" Light mumbled his eyes taking on a distinctive crimson cast, L grinned that meant Light's so-called "demon" side was aching to come out…

"Get a hotel room?" the raven pressed.

Light just avoided frowning (he had _really_ wanted to take L out flying again but after that _incident_ his faith in his powers was still a little shaky) this sounded like a most agreeably alternative.

"Oh, definitely!" Light purred as he slowly trailed his fingers down the other man's cheek.

Of course they had a room but L didn't really want to wait to go all the way back across town but Light balked when he saw where L was leading them. "That's… that's an expensive hotel…"

L smiled. "Don't worry about it. I told you my grandfather runs a Pharmaceutical Company—he won't mind if I use his credit card."


	17. Chapter 17

**NOTICE**

I apologize in advance for spamming and I apologize to everyone who thought they were getting an update. I usually don't do the whole author note chapter thing but I thought it was the best way to get the word out before my account gets deleted.

After ten years of no enforcement fanfiction . net is suddenly going to start enforcing a "no sex and violence" policy:  
>www . change petitions  fanfiction – net – stop – the – destruction – of – fanfiction – net ? utm_campaign =friend _ inviter _ modal & utm_medium = facebook&utm _ source = share_petition

I'm here frequently on fanfiction . net but I only just heard about this, so I figured it was important to get the word out.

I checked and the only warning on fanfiction . net I could see was a single note on fanfiction . net's homepage:  
>"June 4th 2012 - Notices: ◦Please note we would like to clarify the content policy we have in place since 2002. follows the Fiction Rating system ranging from Fiction K to Fiction M. Although Fiction Ratings goes up to Fiction MA, since 2002 has not allowed Fiction MA rated content which can contain adultexplicit content on the site. only accepts content in the Fiction K through Fiction M range. Fiction M can contain adult language, themes and suggestions. Detailed descriptions of physical interaction of sexual or violent nature is considered Fiction MA and has not been allowed on the site since 2002."

I know I don't exactly comb through mine for content and just rate it all M. But no doubt the vague descriptions of gay sex within these stories will offend the moral guardians.

Though I have to wonder what's left after you delete all the stories with sex and violence. There goes the Death Note fandom! And what about a fandom like... Saw?

If you don't think this applies to you then ask yourself, does your story:

Have action scenes?

Have romance scenes?

Mention a song?

**If you answered yes to any of those it is at risk of deletion.**

Or to put it another way would your story make a good episode of Sesame Street?

If yes you're probably safe but if no you may want to consider copying it over to another site.

Even if you don't think this applies to you it's still a good idea to have backups and considering they're going to suddenly start cracking down now after ten years of nothing they may be overzealous in their censorship. It would be a shame if a beautiful story is lost forever just because it says a naughty word.

So please move your stuff, copy your favorites before this goes into effect!

Some suggested sites:

livejournal . com

archiveofourown . org

deviantart . com

adultfanfiction . net

As for me, I will continue to write and update my stories—just not on fanfiction . net.

You can find me on Livejournal and archiveofourown. org as reaperlight and plannedbyreaperLight on deviantart . com

I would like to thank everyone, all of my readers and reviewers, for all their help and support and all the other writers out there keep on writing awesome stories!


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